UK girl's name
Samantha
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "listener" or "heard by God".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Samantha is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Samantha popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #670, with 57 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 1,854 births.
This profile covers 12,697 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 3% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 20,530 living people in the UK are called Samantha. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Samantha ranked #670 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 57 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 1,854 girls were registered as Samantha.
- • Samantha ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #446 in 2021.
- • About 20,530 living people in the UK are estimated to have Samantha as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#670
2024
Births in 2024
57
Latest year
Peak year
1996
1,854 births
Estimated living
20,530
2026
Meaning
What does Samantha mean?
The name Samantha is derived from the ancient Hebrew name Samuel, which means "name of God" or "heard by God." It is a feminine form of the male name Samuel, which was popularized in the Bible as the name of the prophet who anointed the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David.
Samantha first emerged as a distinct name in the 17th century, but it remained relatively uncommon until the late 20th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Samantha dates back to 1684, when it appeared in the records of the parish of St. James, Dukes Place, London.
In the 18th century, the name Samantha gained some popularity among English and American Puritans, who appreciated its biblical roots. One notable figure from this period was Samantha Hoskins (1671-1727), an English Quaker minister and author who wrote about her travels and ministry.
The name Samantha experienced a surge in popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, partly due to its use in popular culture. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Samantha Stephens, the lead character in the television series "Bewitched" (1964-1972), played by actress Elizabeth Montgomery.
Another notable Samantha from the 20th century was Samantha Smith (1972-1985), an American schoolgirl who became a peace activist and ambassador at the age of 10. In 1983, she wrote a letter to Soviet leader Yuri Andropov expressing her concerns about nuclear war, which led to her being invited to visit the Soviet Union. Tragically, Samantha died in a plane crash at the age of 13.
In the literary world, Samantha Power (born 1970) is an Irish-American author, diplomat, and human rights activist. She served as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 2013 to 2017 and won the Pulitzer Prize for her book "A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide."
Throughout history, the name Samantha has been associated with strong, independent, and accomplished women. While its origins can be traced back to ancient Hebrew, the name has taken on new meanings and significance in various cultures and contexts over time.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Samantha over time
The chart below shows babies named Samantha registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Samantha, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 57 births in 2024, compared with 1,854 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Samantha by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Samantha was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #667 | 283 | 5 |
| 2010s | #352 | 1,468 | 10 |
| 2000s | #117 | 5,135 | 10 |
| 1990s | #41 | 5,811 | 4 |
Geography
Where Samantha is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Samantha. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Samantha ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #446 in 2021.
Across the UK
Samantha in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#541 in 2024
51 years of NRS records, 7,660 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#446 in 2021
23 years of NISRA records, 359 total registered
Related
Names similar to Samantha
- Sophie 103,803
- Sophia 46,936
- Scarlett 34,261
- Sienna 32,418
- Sofia 29,136
- Sarah 27,961
- Shannon 25,510
- Summer 24,167
- Sara 14,205
- Skye 13,654
- Stephanie 9,309
- Savannah 8,846
FAQ
Samantha: questions and answers
How popular is the name Samantha in the UK right now?
In 2024, Samantha was ranked #670 for girls in England and Wales, with 57 births registered.
When was Samantha most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 1,854 babies registered as Samantha in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Samantha?
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "listener" or "heard by God".
How many people are called Samantha in the UK?
A total of 12,697 babies have been registered as Samantha across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 7,660 more in Scotland and 359 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Samantha most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Samantha ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #446 in 2021. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.