Samantha

Samantha: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“uncertain; probably feminine form of Samuel”
Origin
American (modern coinage)
Say it
suh-MAN-thuh · 3 syllables
Used for
Girls

First recorded in America in the 18th century. It is generally treated as a feminine elaboration of Samuel, from Hebrew Shemuel, though its exact creation is uncertain.

How popular is Samantha?

2024667 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Samantha in 20242,221

2024 rank#127 girls

Peak year1991

Total US babies since 1880592,059

Samantha is fading: recent use is about 40% of its level ten years before.

Names like Samantha

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Raelynnmodern blend of Rae and Lynn · American (modern coinage)
  • Nevaehheaven spelled backward · American (modern coinage)
  • Ellianamodern blend of Ellie and Ana · American (modern coinage)
  • Wrenleymodern blend using Wren and -ley · American (modern coinage)
  • Oaklynnmodern blend of Oak and Lynn · American (modern coinage)
  • Adalynnmodern blend of Ada and Lynn · American (modern coinage)
  • Kayleemodern blend of Kay and Lee · American (modern coinage)
  • Journeemodern spelling of Journey · American (modern coinage)

Samantha questions

What does the name Samantha mean?

Samantha means "uncertain; probably feminine form of Samuel". It comes from American (modern coinage). First recorded in America in the 18th century. It is generally treated as a feminine elaboration of Samuel, from Hebrew Shemuel, though its exact creation is uncertain.

Is Samantha a boy or girl name?

Samantha is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Samantha?

2,221 US babies were named Samantha in 2024. Its peak year was 1991.

How do you pronounce Samantha?

Samantha is usually pronounced suh-MAN-thuh.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.