Sam
Short form of Samuel, Samson and Samantha. Samuel is Hebrew, usually read as God has heard, from shama, to hear, with el, God.
Sam in 2025
Sam was given to 452 babies in the United States in 2025 — 428 boys and 24 girls, making it the 1,258th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 7,335 babies born.
The history of Sam
Sam reached its highest point in 1918, when 2,529 babies were given the name, ranking 176th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 86th, in 1882.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 128,810 babies have been named Sam. Half of them were born before 1935, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Silent Generation.
Sam by decade
| Decade | Babies named Sam | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 5,080 | 86 |
| 1890s | 4,973 | 127 |
| 1900s | 6,226 | 117 |
| 1910s | 18,740 | 137 |
| 1920s | 21,107 | 197 |
| 1930s | 13,496 | 245 |
| 1940s | 12,456 | 320 |
| 1950s | 10,171 | 439 |
| 1960s | 8,788 | 476 |
| 1970s | 4,585 | 698 |
| 1980s | 4,110 | 849 |
| 1990s | 5,480 | 804 |
| 2000s | 5,848 | 914 |
| 2010s | 5,160 | 995 |
| 2020s | 2,590 | 1,258 |
Where Sam is heading
Sam has fallen 16% over the past decade, from 535 babies in 2015 to 452 in 2025.
Names like Sam
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Sam.