NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Samir

A masculine name derived from Arabic meaning "companion" or "company keeper".

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.

Samir is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Samir popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #898, with 35 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2004, with 91 births.

This profile covers 1,505 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 38% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 1,524 living people in the UK are called Samir. 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

  • Samir ranked #898 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 35 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2004, when 91 boys were registered as Samir.
  • Samir ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #619 in 2024.
  • About 1,524 living people in the UK are estimated to have Samir as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#898

2024

Births in 2024

35

Latest year

Peak year

2004

91 births

Estimated living

1,524

2026

Meaning

What does Samir mean?

The name Samir has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic root word 'samara', which means 'fruit' or 'to bear fruit'. The name is believed to have been in use since the 7th century AD, during the early Islamic era.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Samir can be found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam. In the Quran, the name is mentioned in verse 24:35, which describes Allah's light as a "lamp in a niche".

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Samir. One of the earliest was Samir ibn Hatem al-Kilabi (c. 640-720 AD), a renowned Arab poet and warrior from the Umayyad era.

In the 9th century, there was Samir ibn Nuh al-Khwarizmi (c. 790-850 AD), a famous Persian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of algebra.

During the medieval period, Samir ibn Radwan (c. 1070-1153) was a renowned physician and philosopher from Spain. He is particularly known for his works on medicine and natural sciences.

In the 13th century, Samir al-Jurjani (c. 1239-1311) was a prominent Persian scholar and linguist, best known for his contributions to the study of Arabic grammar and lexicography.

More recently, Samir Amin (1931-2018) was an Egyptian-French economist and thinker, renowned for his work on dependency theory and his critique of capitalism and imperialism.

These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the name Samir, which has its roots in the rich cultural heritage of the Arab world and the Islamic tradition.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Samir over time

The chart below shows babies named Samir 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 Samir, the clearest high point is 2004. The latest England and Wales figure is 35 births in 2024, compared with 91 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Samir
023466891199620102024

Decades

Samir by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Samir 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 #909 166 5
2010s #707 497 10
2000s #453 640 10
1990s #419 202 4

Geography

Where Samir is most common

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

Samir ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #619 in 2024.

Scotland
4

Across the UK

Samir in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#619 in 2024

9 years of NRS records, 31 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Samir

  • Samir Nabi

    association football player

    English Footballer (born 1996)

    1996-

  • Samir Carruthers

    association football player

    Irish footballer (born 1993)

    1993-

  • Samir Puri

    political scientist

    British political scientist

    1981-

  • Samir Shah

    manager

    British television and radio executive

    1952-

  • Samir Mehanović

    film director

    Bosnian film director

    1901-

  • Samir Alsoodani

    politician

    Brexit Party candidate in the 2019 United Kingdom General Election

  • Samir Jassal

    politician

    candidate in United Kingdom General Election

Related

Names similar to Samir

FAQ

Samir: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Samir was ranked #898 for boys in England and Wales, with 35 births registered.

When was Samir most popular?

The peak year on record was 2004, with 91 babies registered as Samir in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Samir?

A masculine name derived from Arabic meaning "companion" or "company keeper".

How many people are called Samir in the UK?

A total of 1,505 babies have been registered as Samir across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 31 more in Scotland.

Where is Samir most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Samir ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #619 in 2024. 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.