Sam
#5,238 for girls in 2025, 24 births · #647 for boys in 2025, 428 births
Given to boys 98.8% of the time
- Peak · boys
- 1882 · 555 births
- Debut · boys
- 457 births
- In top 100 · boys
- 47 yrsof 146 years
- Total births · boys
- 127,234since 1880
Sam over time
Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #5,238 | 24 | #647 | 428 |
| 2024 | #6,394 | 18 | #650 | 425 |
| 2023 | #8,989 | 11 | #676 | 403 |
| 2022 | #6,464 | 18 | #658 | 418 |
| 2021 | #6,174 | 19 | #658 | 412 |
| 2020 | #8,406 | 12 | #655 | 402 |
| 2019 | #7,716 | 14 | #614 | 443 |
| 2018 | #8,146 | 13 | #604 | 453 |
| 2017 | #8,776 | 12 | #537 | 528 |
| 2016 | #6,901 | 17 | #579 | 478 |
| 2015 | #8,931 | 12 | #546 | 523 |
| 2014 | #8,485 | 13 | #533 | 523 |
| 2013 | #8,135 | 14 | #552 | 480 |
| 2012 | #16,869 | 5 | #517 | 510 |
| 2011 | #8,196 | 14 | #481 | 546 |
| 2010 | #9,231 | 12 | #471 | 550 |
| 2009 | #8,058 | 15 | #468 | 582 |
| 2008 | #6,350 | 21 | #457 | 608 |
| 2007 | #11,630 | 9 | #451 | 615 |
| 2006 | #7,482 | 16 | #461 | 586 |
| 2005 | #8,883 | 12 | #460 | 557 |
| 2004 | #12,761 | 7 | #435 | 595 |
| 2003 | — | #436 | 577 | |
| 2002 | — | #442 | 561 | |
| 2001 | #9,351 | 10 | #437 | 554 |
| 2000 | #13,154 | 6 | #460 | 517 |
| 1999 | #12,688 | 6 | #459 | 498 |
| 1998 | — | #457 | 492 | |
| 1997 | #13,724 | 5 | #454 | 484 |
| 1996 | #9,581 | 8 | #428 | 527 |
| 1995 | — | #404 | 569 | |
| 1994 | — | #411 | 554 | |
| 1993 | #7,038 | 12 | #414 | 561 |
| 1992 | — | #400 | 575 | |
| 1991 | #10,271 | 7 | #383 | 591 |
| 1990 | #12,958 | 5 | #396 | 586 |
| 1989 | #12,362 | 5 | #414 | 503 |
| 1988 | #10,386 | 6 | #413 | 479 |
| 1987 | #9,825 | 6 | #392 | 483 |
| 1986 | #7,749 | 8 | #441 | 381 |
| 1985 | #6,031 | 11 | #461 | 348 |
| 1984 | #9,144 | 6 | #444 | 363 |
| 1983 | #5,824 | 11 | #434 | 360 |
| 1982 | #8,224 | 7 | #433 | 373 |
| 1981 | — | #424 | 384 | |
| 1980 | #5,544 | 12 | #429 | 364 |
| 1979 | #8,061 | 7 | #410 | 374 |
| 1978 | #7,649 | 7 | #377 | 417 |
| 1977 | #9,652 | 5 | #418 | 357 |
| 1976 | — | #388 | 397 | |
| 1975 | #5,984 | 9 | #376 | 421 |
| 1974 | #7,680 | 6 | #366 | 436 |
| 1973 | #7,435 | 6 | #351 | 476 |
| 1972 | #7,292 | 6 | #346 | 497 |
| 1971 | #5,136 | 10 | #340 | 541 |
| 1970 | #4,246 | 13 | #320 | 600 |
| 1969 | #5,456 | 8 | #318 | 583 |
| 1968 | #5,147 | 8 | #319 | 568 |
| 1967 | #4,053 | 11 | #299 | 607 |
| 1966 | #3,400 | 14 | #284 | 678 |
| 1965 | #3,149 | 16 | #267 | 774 |
| 1964 | #4,636 | 9 | #248 | 955 |
| 1963 | #4,539 | 9 | #236 | 1,017 |
| 1962 | #2,539 | 23 | #236 | 1,070 |
| 1961 | #3,060 | 17 | #229 | 1,194 |
| 1960 | #3,095 | 16 | #228 | 1,211 |
| 1959 | #3,436 | 13 | #214 | 1,298 |
| 1958 | #3,379 | 13 | #225 | 1,177 |
| 1957 | #3,930 | 10 | #232 | 1,069 |
| 1956 | #3,696 | 11 | #238 | 951 |
| 1955 | #3,571 | 11 | #238 | 874 |
| 1954 | #3,019 | 14 | #238 | 873 |
| 1953 | #3,269 | 12 | #229 | 880 |
| 1952 | #3,552 | 10 | #215 | 940 |
| 1951 | #2,694 | 15 | #201 | 1,034 |
| 1950 | #3,423 | 10 | #207 | 956 |
| 1949 | #3,892 | 8 | #188 | 1,104 |
| 1948 | #3,350 | 10 | #176 | 1,238 |
| 1947 | #4,007 | 8 | #169 | 1,416 |
| 1946 | #3,665 | 8 | #164 | 1,304 |
| 1945 | #3,676 | 7 | #161 | 1,137 |
| 1944 | #2,946 | 10 | #157 | 1,212 |
| 1943 | #2,352 | 15 | #153 | 1,322 |
| 1942 | #2,117 | 17 | #152 | 1,280 |
| 1941 | #2,532 | 12 | #150 | 1,191 |
| 1940 | #2,737 | 10 | #150 | 1,147 |
| 1939 | #2,922 | 9 | #145 | 1,121 |
| 1938 | #2,113 | 15 | #141 | 1,162 |
| 1937 | #2,317 | 13 | #132 | 1,213 |
| 1936 | #1,741 | 19 | #131 | 1,236 |
| 1935 | #2,731 | 10 | #126 | 1,364 |
| 1934 | #3,449 | 7 | #127 | 1,321 |
| 1933 | #1,835 | 18 | #121 | 1,351 |
| 1932 | #1,877 | 18 | #119 | 1,454 |
| 1931 | #1,750 | 20 | #118 | 1,460 |
| 1930 | #2,023 | 17 | #110 | 1,668 |
| 1929 | #1,393 | 30 | #104 | 1,730 |
| 1928 | #1,366 | 32 | #109 | 1,759 |
| 1927 | #1,771 | 23 | #102 | 1,904 |
| 1926 | #1,830 | 22 | #92 | 2,033 |
| 1925 | #1,700 | 25 | #91 | 2,092 |
| 1924 | #1,533 | 30 | #91 | 2,123 |
| 1923 | #1,736 | 24 | #89 | 2,204 |
| 1922 | #1,575 | 28 | #84 | 2,349 |
| 1921 | #1,668 | 26 | #85 | 2,367 |
| 1920 | #1,751 | 23 | #84 | 2,283 |
| 1919 | #1,270 | 36 | #75 | 2,384 |
| 1918 | #1,690 | 23 | #75 | 2,506 |
| 1917 | #2,316 | 14 | #72 | 2,454 |
| 1916 | #1,581 | 23 | #74 | 2,313 |
| 1915 | #1,367 | 27 | #68 | 2,339 |
| 1914 | #1,541 | 18 | #67 | 1,880 |
| 1913 | #1,151 | 23 | #65 | 1,527 |
| 1912 | #1,540 | 13 | #63 | 1,325 |
| 1911 | #2,191 | 6 | #47 | 928 |
| 1910 | #1,267 | 13 | #39 | 888 |
| 1909 | #1,607 | 8 | #44 | 700 |
| 1908 | #2,101 | 5 | #46 | 644 |
| 1907 | #1,512 | 8 | #43 | 631 |
| 1906 | #1,727 | 6 | #43 | 552 |
| 1905 | #1,420 | 8 | #39 | 620 |
| 1904 | #1,877 | 5 | #40 | 603 |
| 1903 | — | #41 | 552 | |
| 1902 | #1,438 | 7 | #41 | 559 |
| 1901 | #1,339 | 7 | #40 | 479 |
| 1900 | #1,171 | 11 | #34 | 821 |
| 1899 | — | #44 | 469 | |
| 1898 | — | #42 | 543 | |
| 1897 | #1,555 | 5 | #45 | 478 |
| 1896 | — | #43 | 518 | |
| 1895 | #1,592 | 5 | #43 | 487 |
| 1894 | #1,136 | 8 | #43 | 507 |
| 1893 | #1,175 | 7 | #43 | 481 |
| 1892 | — | #38 | 551 | |
| 1891 | — | #43 | 418 | |
| 1890 | #1,099 | 7 | #41 | 489 |
| 1889 | #1,147 | 6 | #40 | 486 |
| 1888 | #1,276 | 5 | #34 | 607 |
| 1887 | — | #38 | 463 | |
| 1886 | — | #34 | 519 | |
| 1885 | — | #35 | 492 | |
| 1884 | — | #33 | 533 | |
| 1883 | — | #33 | 476 | |
| 1882 | — | #30 | 555 | |
| 1881 | — | #31 | 481 | |
| 1880 | — | #36 | 457 | |
In the first year the SSA published name data, Sam was already there! It came in at #36, and was given to 457 baby boys.
Quietest stretch: 1972–1989, when fewer than 510 boys a year got the name.
See more about Sam
- 3 spots since 2024 (#650 → #647)
- 8 spots since 2020 (#655 → #647)
- 101 spots since 2015 (#546 → #647)
- Biggest jump: 49 spots in 1987 (#441 → #392)
- Biggest drop: 67 spots in 2018 (#537 → #604)
- Debuted 1880
- Peaked 1882 at #30 (555 births)
- Not yet halved from its peak
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: 47 yrs · run 1880–1926
- Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
- Highest: 1 in 183 boys born in 1900 were named Sam (0.55%)
- Latest: 1 in 3,991 boys born in 2025 (0.03%)
- Its best rank, #30 in 1882, was only 1 in 205 (0.49%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
- 16.4% of all boys named Sam (20,844) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 5,069 | #30 (1882) | #34 |
| 1890s | 4,941 | #38 (1892) | #43 |
| 1900s | 6,161 | #34 (1900) | #41 |
| 1910s | 18,544 | #39 (1910) | #65 |
| 1920s | 20,844 | #84 (1922) | #93 |
| 1930s | 13,350 | #110 (1930) | #127 |
| 1940s | 12,351 | #150 (1941) | #162 |
| 1950s | 10,052 | #201 (1951) | #224 |
| 1960s | 8,657 | #228 (1960) | #266 |
| 1970s | 4,516 | #320 (1970) | #369 |
| 1980s | 4,038 | #392 (1987) | #429 |
| 1990s | 5,437 | #383 (1991) | #421 |
| 2000s | 5,752 | #435 (2004) | #451 |
| 2010s | 5,034 | #471 (2010) | #543 |
| 2020s | 2,488 | #647 (2025) | #657 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
Sam in 2016
Top girls' names in 2016
Top boys' names in 2016
More about 2016
girls
1,772,022 girls got a published name in 2016; 1 in 104,237 of them was named Sam, which outranked 63.5% of the 18,885 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 8.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
- #6,663Zamaria18
- #6,663Zanovia18
- #6,663Zo18
- #6,901Sam17
- #6,901Aaleah17
- #6,901Abigaelle17
- #6,901Adalae17
- #7,230Aalani16
- #7,230Aariana16
- #7,230Aariya16
Tied with 328 names at #6,901; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
1,897,738 boys got a published name in 2016; 1 in 3,970 of them was named Sam, which outranked 95.9% of the 14,207 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 8.2% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).
Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.