UK name, mostly girls
Samar
A name of Arabic origin meaning "evening conversing with friends".
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.
Also recorded as a boys' name in the UK, with 270 boys.
Samar is mostly registered for girls in the UK records. People looking for Samar popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2253, with 12 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2011, with 18 births.
This profile covers 284 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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 67% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 285 living people in the UK are called Samar. 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
- • Samar ranked #2253 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 12 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2011, when 18 girls were registered as Samar.
- • Samar ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #808 in 2017.
- • Samar is also recorded for boys, but the girls side is the larger UK variant in these records.
- • About 285 living people in the UK are estimated to have Samar as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 51.3% of Samar registrations are for girls.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2253
2024
Births in 2024
12
Latest year
Peak year
2011
18 births
Estimated living
285
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Samar
In England and Wales birth records, Samar has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 48.7% of registrations are for boys and 51.3% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Samar registered for boys
- Ranked #1,951 in 2024
- 12 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2014 (28 births)
Samar registered for girls
- Ranked #2,253 in 2024
- 12 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2011 (18 births)
Meaning
What does Samar mean?
The name Samar has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that dates back to the 2nd millennium BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "samara," which means "battlefield" or "war." In Hindu mythology, Samar is also the name of one of the sons of Lord Krishna.
Samar was a popular name among ancient Hindu warriors and rulers. It is found in several ancient Indian texts, including the Mahabharata and the Puranas. The earliest recorded use of the name Samar can be traced back to the 3rd century BCE, when it was mentioned in inscriptions from the Maurya Empire.
In the medieval period, Samar was a common name among the Rajput warriors of North India. Several Rajput kings and princes bore this name, including Samar Singh, the ruler of the Mewar kingdom in the 16th century, and Samar Singh II, the ruler of Bikaner in the 18th century.
Outside of India, the name Samar has been used by various historical figures. One notable example is Samar al-Mulk, a Persian vizier who served under the Seljuk ruler Malik Shah I in the 11th century. Another is Samar Khan, a Mughal governor who ruled over the province of Bihar in the 17th century.
In the 20th century, several notable individuals have borne the name Samar. These include Samar Sen, an Indian philosopher and writer who lived from 1916 to 1987, and Samar Mubarakmand, a Pakistani nuclear scientist who played a key role in the country's nuclear program.
Other historical figures with the name Samar include Samar Amin, an Egyptian diplomat who served as the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States from 1983 to 1991, and Samar Safi, a Lebanese writer and activist who was born in 1957.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Samar over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Samar in England and Wales, 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 Samar, the clearest high point is 2011. The latest England and Wales figure is 12 births in 2024, compared with 18 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Samar by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Samar 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 | #2756 | 45 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2368 | 116 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2286 | 97 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2525 | 26 | 4 |
Geography
Where Samar is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Samar. 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.
Samar ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #808 in 2017.
Across the UK
Samar in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#808 in 2017
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Related
Names similar to Samar
- 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
- Samantha 12,697
- Stephanie 9,309
FAQ
Samar: questions and answers
How popular is the name Samar in the UK right now?
In 2024, Samar was ranked #2253 for girls in England and Wales, with 12 births registered.
When was Samar most popular?
The peak year on record was 2011, with 18 babies registered as Samar in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Samar?
A name of Arabic origin meaning "evening conversing with friends".
How many people are called Samar in the UK?
A total of 284 babies have been registered as Samar across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Samar most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Samar ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #808 in 2017. 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.