Samara
Samara was the 320th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 957 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 256th with 1,270 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 313 places. More babies were named Samara in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin not documented
Say it suh-MAR-uh /səˈmɑrə/
- Rank in 2025
- #320 girls, up 31 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 957girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20181,270 babies
- Total since 1880
- 22,769babies recorded
What does the name Samara mean?
Samara has no single origin. Wiktionary lists it as a city and river in Russia and as a female given name, without saying where the name comes from. It is also the English botanical word for a winged seed, from Latin samara, "elm seed". Claims that it is Hebrew for "guarded by God" come from confusion with the place name Samaria and are not supported by the sources consulted.
How sure is this? Not documented. Several unrelated words share the form; no documented origin for the given name.
Other explanations you may read: Hebrew for 'guarded by God'.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Samara', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'samara', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (usage history only), US Social Security Administration
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'samara', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Nicknames for Samara
The usual nicknames for Samara are Sam. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Samara in the last five years, 2 were named Sam, against 1 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam · also for Samuel, Samantha, Samson | Modern | #5,370 | 90 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Samaras go by each one.
Samara popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 5 since 2023.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #320 | 957 |
| 2020 | #351 | 886 |
| 2010 | #602 | 488 |
| 2000 | #889 | 248 |
| 1990 | #1,153 | 150 |
| 1980 | #1,259 | 104 |
| 1970 | #1,595 | 60 |
| 1960 | #6,263 | 6 |
| 1950 | #5,966 | 5 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Samara, counting every spelling?
Samara is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #325 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #320 for Samara on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,013 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samara | 957 | #320 | 5,053 |
| Samarah | 56 | #2,991 | 351 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Samara?
957 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Samara (0.27 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Samara born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 9 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Samara.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Samara?
About 22,500 people born in the US named Samara are alive today, with a median age of 14; half are between 6 and 22. That makes Samara mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Samara by state
How common Samara was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (2.2×), Maryland (1.9×), Nevada (1.9×), New Jersey (1.7×), California (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Idaho, Mississippi, West Virginia.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Samara: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Samara, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Samara · Sibling names for Samara
Questions about the name Samara
How popular is the name Samara?
Samara was the 320th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 957 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 256th with 1,270 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 313 places. More babies were named Samara in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Samara a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Samara in the US.
Where is Samara most popular?
In 2021–2025, Samara was most common in New Mexico (1.36 per 1,000 girls), followed by Maryland and Nevada.