NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Samara

A feminine name of Russian origin meaning "guarded 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.

Samara is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Samara popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1097, with 31 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2005, with 54 births.

This profile covers 1,123 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 57% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 1,208 living people in the UK are called Samara. 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

  • Samara ranked #1097 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 31 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2005, when 54 girls were registered as Samara.
  • Samara ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #439 in 2014.
  • About 1,208 living people in the UK are estimated to have Samara as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#1097

2024

Births in 2024

31

Latest year

Peak year

2005

54 births

Estimated living

1,208

2026

Meaning

What does Samara mean?

The name Samara has its origins in the Sanskrit language and is derived from the word "samara," which means "war" or "battle." It is believed to have emerged as a personal name in ancient India during the Vedic period, which spanned from around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE.

In Hindu mythology, Samara is mentioned as one of the names of the god Shiva, who is often depicted as the Destroyer or the Transformer. The name is associated with strength, courage, and the ability to overcome challenges.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Samara can be found in the epic Sanskrit poem Mahabharata, which dates back to around the 8th century BCE. In the poem, Samara is mentioned as the name of a warrior who fought in the great battle of Kurukshetra.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Samara. One of the most famous was Samara Maharaja, a powerful ruler of the Maurya Empire in ancient India, who reigned from around 305 BCE to 283 BCE.

In the 7th century CE, Samara Gupta was a celebrated king of the Gupta Empire, known for his military conquests and patronage of the arts and literature.

Another notable figure was Samara Devi, a queen of the Chola Empire in southern India, who ruled in the 11th century CE and was renowned for her political acumen and support of cultural traditions.

During the medieval period, Samara Khan was a prominent military leader and governor in the Delhi Sultanate, who played a significant role in the expansion of the empire in the 13th century.

In the 16th century, Samara Bai was a revered female warrior and military leader from the Maratha Empire, who fought against the Mughal forces and gained recognition for her bravery and leadership skills.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Samara over time

The chart below shows babies named Samara 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 Samara, the clearest high point is 2005. The latest England and Wales figure is 31 births in 2024, compared with 54 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Samara
014274154199620102024

Decades

Samara by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Samara 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 #1135 153 5
2010s #837 449 10
2000s #760 404 10
1990s #787 117 4

Geography

Where Samara is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Samara. 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.

Samara ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #439 in 2014.

Scotland
4
Northern Ireland
3

Across the UK

Samara in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#630 in 2023

17 years of NRS records, 61 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#439 in 2014

8 years of NISRA records, 31 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Samara

  • Samara Britto

    badminton player

    badminton player

    2010-

Related

Names similar to Samara

FAQ

Samara: questions and answers

How popular is the name Samara in the UK right now?

In 2024, Samara was ranked #1097 for girls in England and Wales, with 31 births registered.

When was Samara most popular?

The peak year on record was 2005, with 54 babies registered as Samara in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Samara?

A feminine name of Russian origin meaning "guarded by God".

How many people are called Samara in the UK?

A total of 1,123 babies have been registered as Samara across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 61 more in Scotland and 31 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Samara most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Samara ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #439 in 2014. 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.