Sam
A boys’ name of Hebrew origin, meaning God has heard; form of Samuel.
How Sam has moved
View as table
| Year | US rank |
|---|---|
| 2015 | #548 |
| 2016 | #580 |
| 2017 | #540 |
| 2018 | #603 |
| 2019 | #618 |
| 2020 | #654 |
| 2021 | #659 |
| 2022 | #658 |
| 2023 | #672 |
| 2024 | #651 |
| 2025 | #647 |
Sam by the numbers
In 2025, 115 babies in England and Wales were named Sam. In the US, 530 were, though that figure is from 2017, the most recent full year we hold.
It is used at about the same rate on both sides of the Atlantic.
Its American peak was 2,505 babies in 1918, so it is a 1910s name that has since fallen a long way.
At its height, in 1900, about 1 in 200 American boys born that year was called Sam.
Other names that come from Samuel
Like Sam, each of these traces back to Samuel: a form of it, a name built from it, or a son or daughter of it. Not always the same sex.
- SamanthaGod has heard; feminine form of Samuel4,308 in the US (2017)
- Shmuelgod has heard; hebrew form of Samuel214 in the US (2017)
- Sammygod has heard; a form of Samuel28 in England and Wales (2025)
- SammieGod has heard; a form of Samuel56 in the US (2017)
- Sammihis name is God; diminutive of Samuel or Samantha26 in the US (2017)
- SamualGod has heard; a variant spelling of Samuel22 in the US (2017)
- SammuelGod has heard; a spelling variant of Samuel21 in the US (2017)
- Samuelagod has heard; feminine form of Samuel12 in the US (2017)
Spelled almost the same
Other names in the records within a letter or two of Sam. Close spellings are not always related names, but they are usually worth seeing together.
- Samiexalted; elevated168 in England and Wales (2025)
- Sailord; a form of sayi27 in England and Wales (2025)
- Samygod has heard; a form of samuel36 in the US (2017)
- Saimfasting; one who fasts10 in England and Wales (2025)
- Semname renown or reputation3 in England and Wales (2025)
- Salsalt; or short form of Salvatore6 in the US (2017)
Sounds like Sam
Names that are said the same way as Sam, however they are written. Sounding alike does not mean they share a history.
- Sahm4 in England and Wales (2025)
Other names that mean God
Like Sam, each of these has God in its meaning. Different names, different histories, the same idea.