UK girl's name
Samra
An Arabic feminine name meaning "brown-skinned" or "night conversationist".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2022. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Samra is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Samra popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2022 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5669, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1999, with 11 births.
This profile covers 125 England and Wales registrations across 21 recorded years from 1996 to 2022. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, 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 27% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 124 living people in the UK are called Samra. 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 2023 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Samra ranked #5669 for girls in England and Wales in 2022, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1999, when 11 girls were registered as Samra.
- • About 124 living people in the UK are estimated to have Samra as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5669
2022
Births in 2022
3
Latest year
Peak year
1999
11 births
Estimated living
124
2026
Meaning
What does Samra mean?
The name Samra has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, dating back to the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Arabic word "samara," which means "fruit" or "fruitful." The name is associated with fertility, abundance, and prosperity.
In the early Islamic era, Samra was a relatively common name among Arab women, particularly in the regions of the Arabian Peninsula, Levant, and North Africa. It was often given to newborn girls as a symbol of hope for a prosperous and fruitful life.
While the name itself does not appear to be directly mentioned in religious scriptures or ancient texts, its linguistic roots can be traced back to the Quranic Arabic language and the cultural traditions of the Islamic world.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Samra dates back to the 8th century CE, when a woman named Samra bint Abi Nasr was a renowned poet and scholar in the court of the Abbasid Caliph, Harun al-Rashid, in Baghdad.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Samra:
1. Samra al-Qurashi (c. 630-670 CE), a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and one of the earliest Muslim women scholars. 2. Samra bint Yahya al-Mawsili (c. 830-900 CE), an influential Arab musician and singer during the Abbasid Caliphate. 3. Samra Younis (1912-1995), a Palestinian writer and activist who advocated for women's rights and education. 4. Samra Saeed (born 1989), a Jordanian entrepreneur and founder of the technology company, Soulforce. 5. Samra Habis (born 1986), a Syrian-Canadian visual artist known for her work exploring themes of displacement and identity.
These examples illustrate the enduring presence of the name Samra across different regions and eras, reflecting its cultural significance and connection to the Arabic language and heritage.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Samra over time
The chart below shows babies named Samra registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2022. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Samra, the clearest high point is 1999. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2022, compared with 11 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Samra by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Samra 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 | #5625 | 6 | 2 |
| 2010s | #4602 | 27 | 6 |
| 2000s | #2653 | 65 | 9 |
| 1990s | #2383 | 27 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Samra
- 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
Samra: questions and answers
How popular is the name Samra in the UK right now?
In 2022, Samra was ranked #5669 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Samra most popular?
The peak year on record was 1999, with 11 babies registered as Samra in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Samra?
An Arabic feminine name meaning "brown-skinned" or "night conversationist".
How many people are called Samra in the UK?
A total of 125 babies have been registered as Samra across the 21 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
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.