# Samantha (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/samantha/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Hebrew |
| Meaning | “listener”, “universal”, “adjacent” |
| Pronunciation | /səˈmænθə/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | Sammy, Sami, Sam, Sammi, Sammie, Sams |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 594,052 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,205 / 592,847 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 12,744, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

It was recorded in the 17th century in England. Most probably a feminine form of Samuel, possibly influenced by Anthea. Other suggestions include Aramaic ܫܡܥܢܬܐ (šemʿanta, “listener”, noun), from ܫܡܥ. In India, Samantha can be interpreted as a variant spelling of Samanta, from Sanskrit समन्त (samanta, “universal, adjacent”).

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 7,400 | 17 |
| 2012 | 6,938 | 26 |
| 2013 | 6,516 | 29 |
| 2014 | 5,735 | 33 |
| 2015 | 5,347 | 40 |
| 2016 | 4,956 | 44 |
| 2017 | 4,333 | 54 |
| 2018 | 3,924 | 61 |
| 2019 | 3,369 | 80 |
| 2020 | 2,956 | 90 |
| 2021 | 2,599 | 106 |
| 2022 | 2,605 | 106 |
| 2023 | 2,372 | 114 |
| 2024 | 2,232 | 126 |
| 2025 | 1,973 | 151 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 23 | 3,761 |
| 2003 | 12 | 6,186 |
| 2004 | 39 | 2,733 |
| 2005 | 17 | 4,995 |
| 2006 | 18 | 5,030 |
| 2007 | 7 | 10,689 |
| 2008 | 14 | 6,340 |
| 2009 | 17 | 5,507 |
| 2010 | 17 | 5,431 |
| 2012 | 8 | 9,549 |
| 2013 | 7 | 10,524 |
| 2014 | 12 | 6,979 |
| 2015 | 7 | 10,424 |
| 2016 | 5 | 13,844 |
| 2017 | 5 | 13,891 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 218 | 232 |
| 2012 | 166 | 289 |
| 2013 | 144 | 324 |
| 2014 | 156 | 300 |
| 2015 | 159 | 300 |
| 2016 | 101 | 437 |
| 2017 | 103 | 427 |
| 2018 | 89 | 484 |
| 2019 | 77 | 526 |
| 2020 | 64 | 604 |
| 2021 | 59 | 654 |
| 2022 | 50 | 729 |
| 2023 | 53 | 677 |
| 2024 | 57 | 670 |
| 2025 | 47 | 778 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: سامانثا
- Chinese: 薩曼莎 /萨曼莎
- Esperanto: Samanta
- French: Samantha
- German: Samantha
- Greek: Σαμάνθα
- Hindi: समैन्था
- Italian: Samanta
- Japanese: サマンサ
- Korean: 사만다, 서맨사
- Latvian: Samanta
- Polish: Samanta
- Portuguese: Samanta
- Russian: Сама́нта
- Spanish: Samanta

## People named Samantha

- Samantha Stosur, Australian tennis player (born 1984)
- Samantha Smith, American peace activist and child actress (1972–1985)
- Samantha Fox, British singer (born 1966)
- Samantha Morton, British actress
- Samantha Eggar, British actress (1939–2025)
- Samantha Barks, British actress
- Samantha Mathis, American actress and trade union leader (born 1970)
- Samantha Bee, Canadian comedic actress and author (born 1969)
- Samantha Bond, British actress
- Samantha Womack, English actress, singer and director, in film, television and stage
- Samantha Harvey, English writer (born 1975)
- Samantha Saint, American pornographic actress

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.