Sam

Primarily a boy's name · 100% boys

Meaning

Sam is a unisex given name. It is often short for other names, such as Samuel or Samantha.

From Wikipedia

Sam first appears in the data in 1986 and has been recorded in 30 different years as a boy's name. Its single biggest year was 2016 with 307 babies (rank #111 that year). It was not in the 2025 data. The name has been declining over the last five years.

Numerology of Sam

In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Sam yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.

6Destiny numberThe carerNurturing, responsible, family at the centre.Sum of every letter. The overall character a name carries.
1Soul urgeThe leaderIndependent, pioneering, drawn to going first.Sum of the vowels — what's said to drive the heart.
5PersonalityThe free spiritCurious, restless, energised by change.Sum of the consonants — the outer impression.

4,450

Total babies (all years)

Years in the data

307

Peak in a single year

Popularity Over Time — Boys

Also a character in

In The Lord of the Rings: Samwise Gamgee — Frodo's loyal companion
In Marvel Cinematic Universe: Sam Wilson — the new Captain America
In Ted Lasso: Sam Obisanya — Nigerian defender

Famous people named Sam

Sam Worthingtonfilm actor · b. 1976
Sam Altmanprogrammer · b. 1985
Sam Rockwellmanufacturer · b. 1968
Sam Houstonpolitician · b. 1793
Sam Nujomaautobiographer · b. 1929

More popular boys' names

Other boys' names starting with S

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
1986	75	#100
1987	93	#90
1988	157	#77
1989	152	#78
1990	185	#71
1991	232	#64
1992	224	#65
1993	220	#64
1994	212	#65
1995	193	#70
1996	195	#72
1997	200	#71
1998	185	#76
1999	152	#86
2000	159	#82
2001	144	#83
2002	94	#98
2003	63	#105
2004	158	#84
2005	164	#86
2006	109	#91
2007	106	#98
2008	210	#83
2009	90	#106
2010	188	#91
2011	75	#107
2014	17	#133
2015	76	#134
2016	307	#111
2017	15	#141