Name Generator

How popular is the name Samantha?

Births per year, rank history and how many Samanthas are alive today.

Samantha (female), once a common girls' name, is now an uncommon choice for new babies in England and Wales, ranked 778th in 2025 with 47 given the name. The name peaked in 1984, when around 6,600 babies were given the name, the 8th most popular that year. It has declined since 1984; the 2025 figure is roughly 1% of its peak. Numbers have been stable in recent years. At least 130,000 babies have been named Samantha in England and Wales since 1974. Figures before 1996 are estimates.

The Samantha you are most likely to meet is around 43 years old. Half of all Samanthas born in England and Wales are between 38 and 52, and there are at least 160,000 of them alive today. If you walk into a room of 100 females, there's roughly a 40% chance that at least one of them will be called Samantha.

How many babies are named Samantha each year?

02k4k6k1980200020201974: ~5,760 estimated (5,353-6,167)1984: ~6,551 estimated (6,255-6,847)1994: ~3,371 estimated (2,394-4,347)1996: 1,8541997: 1,5521998: 1,3451999: 1,0602000: 8672001: 7312002: 6632003: 5742004: 5052005: 4232006: 3762007: 3712008: 3342009: 2912010: 2552011: 2182012: 1662013: 1442014: 1562015: 1592016: 1012017: 1032018: 892019: 772020: 642021: 592022: 502023: 532024: 572025: 47estimatedactual

Where does Samantha rank among girls' names?

1101001,0001980200020201974: ranked 91984: ranked 81994: ranked 201996: ranked 321997: ranked 381998: ranked 441999: ranked 512000: ranked 582001: ranked 712002: ranked 792003: ranked 902004: ranked 1052005: ranked 1312006: ranked 1442007: ranked 1472008: ranked 1582009: ranked 1832010: ranked 2022011: ranked 2322012: ranked 2892013: ranked 3242014: ranked 3002015: ranked 3002016: ranked 4372017: ranked 4272018: ranked 4842019: ranked 5262020: ranked 6042021: ranked 6542022: ranked 7292023: ranked 6772024: ranked 6702025: ranked 778

Where this data comes from

Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.

One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.

Chart: babies named Samantha per year in England and Wales, 1974 to 2025, peaking at about 6,551 in 1984
Samantha: births per year in England and Wales, 1974-2025. Free to share with a link back.

Common questions

When was the name Samantha most popular?

Samantha peaked in 1984, when around 6,600 babies in England and Wales were given the name.

How many people are called Samantha?

At least 160,000 people named Samantha born in England and Wales are alive today.

How old is the typical Samantha?

Most living Samanthas are between 38 and 52; the most common age is about 43.

Is Samantha becoming more or less popular?

Well past its peak: today's figures are a fraction of the 1984 peak, though numbers have levelled off in recent years.






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