Sam

Primarily a boy's name · 99% 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 1880 and has been recorded in 145 different years as a boy's name. Its single biggest year was 1918 with 2,505 babies (rank #75 that year). In 2024 it was given to 423 boys (rank #651). 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.

128,347

Total babies (all years)

145

Years in the data

2,505

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

Share your Sam story

Why did you choose this name — or what does it mean to you? Approved stories appear on this page.

More popular boys' names

Names ranked near Sam in 2024

Other boys' names starting with S

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
1880	457	#36
1881	481	#32
1882	555	#30
1883	476	#33
1884	533	#33
1885	492	#35
1886	519	#34
1887	463	#39
1888	607	#34
1889	486	#40
1890	489	#41
1891	418	#43
1892	551	#38
1893	481	#43
1894	507	#43
1895	487	#43
1896	518	#43
1897	478	#45
1898	543	#42
1899	469	#44
1900	821	#34
1901	479	#41
1902	559	#41
1903	552	#41
1904	603	#40
1905	620	#39
1906	552	#43
1907	631	#43
1908	644	#46
1909	700	#44
1910	888	#40
1911	928	#47
1912	1,325	#63
1913	1,527	#65
1914	1,880	#67
1915	2,339	#68
1916	2,313	#74
1917	2,455	#72
1918	2,505	#75
1919	2,384	#75
1920	2,283	#84
1921	2,367	#85
1922	2,349	#84
1923	2,204	#89
1924	2,123	#91
1925	2,092	#91
1926	2,033	#92
1927	1,904	#102
1928	1,759	#109
1929	1,730	#105
1930	1,668	#110
1931	1,460	#118
1932	1,454	#120
1933	1,351	#121
1934	1,321	#127
1935	1,364	#126
1936	1,236	#131
1937	1,213	#132
1938	1,162	#141
1939	1,121	#145
1940	1,147	#150
1941	1,191	#150
1942	1,280	#152
1943	1,322	#153
1944	1,212	#157
1945	1,137	#161
1946	1,304	#164
1947	1,416	#169
1948	1,238	#176
1949	1,104	#188
1950	956	#207
1951	1,034	#201
1952	940	#215
1953	880	#229
1954	873	#238
1955	874	#239
1956	951	#238
1957	1,069	#232
1958	1,177	#225
1959	1,298	#214
1960	1,209	#228
1961	1,192	#229
1962	1,071	#236
1963	1,016	#236
1964	955	#248
1965	774	#267
1966	678	#285
1967	607	#299
1968	567	#320
1969	583	#318
1970	600	#321
1971	541	#340
1972	497	#346
1973	476	#351
1974	437	#366
1975	420	#377
1976	398	#388
1977	357	#418
1978	417	#378
1979	374	#410
1980	365	#429
1981	384	#426
1982	374	#433
1983	360	#434
1984	363	#444
1985	348	#461
1986	381	#441
1987	483	#393
1988	479	#413
1989	503	#415
1990	586	#397
1991	591	#384
1992	575	#401
1993	561	#415
1994	554	#414
1995	569	#404
1996	527	#428
1997	484	#458
1998	492	#458
1999	498	#460
2000	517	#460
2001	554	#438
2002	561	#442
2003	577	#436
2004	593	#438
2005	557	#460
2006	586	#461
2007	614	#453
2008	608	#458
2009	581	#470
2010	550	#472
2011	545	#483
2012	510	#518
2013	480	#553
2014	523	#534
2015	523	#547
2016	478	#580
2017	527	#538
2018	453	#604
2019	442	#618
2020	402	#655
2021	412	#659
2022	418	#658
2023	403	#675
2024	423	#651