Samantha

“Possibly a feminine form of Samuel, or 'listener' (Aramaic)” — Hebrew or Aramaic (uncertain) origin

Girl's name · #151 in the US (2025) · 90s

Samantha reached #3 in 1998 and has faded to #151 since. About 593,000 girls have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. Samantha rose sharply in the mid-1960s. The increase coincided with the 1964 debut of Bewitched, featuring Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens. Samantha's short forms are Sam, Sammy, Sammie, and Sammi. A popular twin pairing with Samantha is Sophia for a girl.

Around the world: #2 in Philippines (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 48 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Samanthas

Samantha Stosur — Australian tennis player (born 1984)
Samantha Smith — American peace activist and child actress (1972–1985)
Samantha Cristoforetti — Italian European Space Agency astronaut, former Italian Air Force pilot and engineer (1977)
Samantha Fox — British singer
Samantha Morton — British actress

In stories & tradition

Samantha Carter — Stargate Atlantis · Stargate SG-1
Samantha Jones — Sex and the City
Samantha Mulder — The X-Files

What Samanthas become

Among 1,009 notable people named Samantha:

Entertainers appear 1.9× more often than among typical names — e.g. Samantha Smith, American peace activist and child actress (1972–1985).

Similar names: Hannah · Samara · Dakota · Molly · Sarah · Rachel

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service