Samantha
Girl name · #151 in 2025 · Uniqueness 56/100
Samantha ranks #151 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 1,973 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #40, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 912 girls born in 2025 was named Samantha.
Babies named Samantha per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
The 145-year story
Samantha first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 21 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1990, when 25,868 girls were named Samantha — good for #5 that year. Today's parents encounter it on its way down the popularity curve, which for many parents is exactly the appeal. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Samantha against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Samantha in class?
Samantha scores 56 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "distinctive" band. That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Samantha is most common
Geography matters for names, and Samantha is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Samanthas were CA (348), TX (259), FL (170), NY (84), IL (79). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
Names like Samantha
Statistically, parents drawn to Samantha tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Alexandra, Jasmine, Katherine, Sabrina, and Victoria.
AlexandraJasmineKatherineSabrinaVictoriaKaylaBriannaAllison
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Samantha | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,973 | #151 |
| 2024 | 2,232 | #126 |
| 2023 | 2,372 | #114 |
| 2022 | 2,605 | #106 |
| 2021 | 2,599 | #106 |
| 2020 | 2,956 | #90 |
| 2019 | 3,369 | #80 |
| 2018 | 3,924 | #61 |
| 2017 | 4,333 | #54 |
| 2016 | 4,956 | #44 |
| 2015 | 5,347 | #40 |
| 2014 | 5,735 | #33 |
| 2013 | 6,516 | #29 |
| 2012 | 6,938 | #26 |
| 2011 | 7,400 | #17 |
| 2010 | 8,411 | #15 |
| 2009 | 9,669 | #14 |
| 2008 | 11,190 | #11 |
| 2007 | 11,883 | #12 |
| 2006 | 12,470 | #10 |
| 2005 | 13,642 | #8 |
| 2004 | 13,786 | #9 |
| 2003 | 13,870 | #10 |
| 2002 | 14,671 | #9 |
| 2001 | 15,867 | #7 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Samantha a popular girl name?
Samantha ranked #151 among girls in 2025 with 1,973 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #40.
When was the name Samantha most popular?
Samantha peaked in 1990, when 25,868 American girls received the name (ranked #5 that year). Since 1990 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Samantha?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 912 newborn American girls was named Samantha. It scores 56/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "distinctive".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.