Samantha
Top 1000
About Samantha
The origins of Samantha are not entirely clear, although it is commonly thought to be a feminization of Samuel with the suffix derived from the Greek anthos, meaning "flower." Samantha has been in English-speaking use since the eighteenth century, particularly in the American South, and drew attention via Grace Kelly's Tracy Samantha Lord character in High Society, featuring the song "I love you, Samantha."
Though still a lovely name, Samantha is finally beginning to fade after years of widespread use. The modern-day popularity of Samantha was originally inspired by the nose-twitching heroine of TV's Bewitched. It was revitalized by the sensual Kim Cattrell character on Sex and the City.
Some of today's parents may well go directly to nickname Sam, or consider an alternative like Samara.
Pronounced suh-MAN-thuh.
As of October 2026, Samantha ranked #151 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #3 in 1998, Nameberry popularity #296.
Editor: Sophie Kihm
Sources: US popularity data is from the Social Security Administration. Meanings and origins are from Nameberry's name references.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #33 | 5,735 | 3,210.4 |
| 2015 | #40 | 5,347 | 2,995.4 |
| 2016 | #44 | 4,955 | 2,796.2 |
| 2017 | #54 | 4,332 | 2,509.2 |
| 2018 | #61 | 3,923 | 2,306.2 |
| 2019 | #80 | 3,369 | 2,007.3 |
| 2020 | #90 | 2,955 | 1,828 |
| 2021 | #106 | 2,599 | 1,583.9 |
| 2022 | #106 | 2,603 | 1,587.1 |
| 2023 | #114 | 2,368 | 1,475.8 |
| 2024 | #127 | 2,221 | 1,370.8 |
| 2025 | #151 | 1,973 | 1,227.5 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Samantha.
- Nicole
- Rebecca
- Rachel
- Michelle
- Amy
- Lauren
- Allison
- Danielle
- Stephanie
- Gabrielle
- Sara
- Jessica
- Megan
- Christina
- Angela
- Bethany
- Natalie
- Andrea
- Jennifer
- Melanie
Samantha on lists
Famous Samanthas
- Samantha Munro
Canadian actress
- Samantha "Sammi" Jo Doll
American musician
- Samantha Zoe Womack
English singer/actress
- Samantha Karen "Sam" Fox
English pop singer
- Samantha Jane Power
former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.
- Samantha Browne
Walters, American actress
- Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Indian actress
- Samantha Arsenault
American Olympic swimmer
- Samantha Jane Morton
English actress
- Samantha Jade Gibbs
Australian singer and actress
- Samantha Jane Barks
British actress
- Samantha Jane "Sam" Stosur
Australian tennis player
- Samantha Scarlett Knight
sister of actor Sterling Knight
- Samantha "Sammi Sweetheart" Giancola
American reality TV personality ("Jersey Shore")
- Samantha Bee
Canadian,American political comedian
- Samantha Tamania Anne Cecilia Mumba
Irish singer
- Samantha Bennington
ex,wife of former Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington
- Samantha Smith
British tennis player
- Samantha Sainte
Claire Ponder, American TV sportscaster
- Samantha Louise Hall aka Goldierocks
British DJ
- Samantha Judith Ronson
American DJ
- Samantha Reed Smith
American actress and peace activist
- Samantha Busch
wife of NASCAR driver Kyle Busch
- Samantha June "Sam" Mewis
American soccer player
- Samantha May "Sam" Kerr
Australian soccer player
- Samantha Ann "Sam" Quek
English Olympic hockey player
- Samantha Gibb (b. 1980)
daughter of singer Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees
- Samantha Ella Bain (b. 1981)
daughter of bassist Jimmy Bain of Rainbow and Dio
- Samantha Anderson (b. 1982)
daughter of actress Conchata Ferrell and Arnie Anderson
- Samantha Southall (b. 1987)
daughter of footballer Neville Southall
- Samantha Mozes (b. 1996)
daughter of actress Cynthia Nixon and Danny Mozes
- Samantha Lee Martin (b. 2002)
daughter of actress Lauralee Bell and Scott Martin
- Samantha Michelle Robinson (b. 2011)
son of actor Bumper Robinson
- Samantha Riggs (b. 2012)
daughter of singer Margareta Svensson and Seth Riggs
- Samantha Rae "Sam" Simpson (b. 2013)
daughter of pair skater Jamie Salé and ice hockey player Craig Simpson
- Samantha Faith "Sam" Rogers (b. 2016)
daughter of singer and TV personality Matt Rogers
- Samantha “Sam” Rybka
Australian acrobat, dancer, and YouTuber
Samantha in pop culture
- Samantha Jones
character on TV's "Sex and the City"
- Samantha "Sam" Stevens
character on TV's "Bewitched"
- Samantha "Sam" Manson
character in animated series "Danny Phantom"
- Samantha Spade
character on TV's "Without a Trace"
- Samantha "Sam" McCall Morgan
character on American soap "General Hospital"
- Samantha Parkington
character in the "American Girl" series
- Samantha "Sam" Puckett
character from "iCarly"
- Samantha "Sammi" Caldone
character in TV movie "Cyberbully"
- Samantha "Sam" Kingston
character from "Before I Fall" by Lauren Oliver
- Semanthe
character in Sir John Suckling's play "Aglaura" (1637)
- Samantha Carter
character on TV's "Stargate"
- Samantha Micelli
character on TV series "Who's the Boss?"
- Samantha Darko
character in movie "Donnie Darko"
- Samantha "Sam" Montgomery
main character in movie "A Cinderella Story"
- Samantha "Sam" Baker
main character in "Sixteen Candles"
- Samantha "Art3mis" Cook
character in book and movie "Ready Player One"
- Samantha
character in Barbara Cartland's book "Say Yes, Samantha"
- Samantha "Sam" Walker (Davis)
minor character in "One Tree Hill"
- Samantha "Root" Groves
character from TV show "Person of Interest"
- Samantha
OS system voiced by Scarlett Johansson in the movie "Her"
- Samantha Louise "Lou" Fleming
character on Canadian TV series "Heartland"
- Samantha Gilbert
character on TV's "The Vampire Diaries"
- "The Secret Life of Samantha McGregor
" novel by Melody Carlson
- Samantha "Sam" Giddings
character in video game "Until Dawn"
- Samantha "Sam" Askew
character in "The Saddle Club"
- Samantha "Sam" Borgens
character from movie "Stuck in Love"
- Samantha Clayton
character on TV's "Arrow"
- Samantha Mulder
character from TV's "The X,Files"
- Samantha "Sam" Arias
AKA Reign from TV's "Supergirl"
- Samantha "Sam" Leslie Jackson
character in the 2015 comedy film "Ted 2"
- Samantha “The Cat”
character in the animated series “Infinity Train”
- Samantha LaRusso
character from the TV show "Cobra Kai"
Variations & nicknames
- SamanthéeFrench