Samira
Samira was the 723rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 387 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 402 places. More babies were named Samira in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning companion in evening talk (Arabic) · Arabic, Persian
Say it suh-MEER-uh /səˈmirə/
- Rank in 2025
- #723 girls, up 205 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 387girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025387 babies
- Total since 1880
- 8,875babies recorded
What does the name Samira mean?
Samira is the feminine of Samir. Wiktionary's Arabic entry gives samīra as the feminine of samīr, an adjective for an entertaining companion who talks through the night. Wiktionary's English entry also derives Samira from Persian, where it is used mainly by Persians. Wiktionary lists the spellings Samirah, Sameera and Sameerah. Samira has been used in the US since 1961, mainly for girls.
سَمِيرَة (Arabic, “feminine of samīr, entertaining companion”)
How sure is this? Probable. Wiktionary only.
Related names: Samir, Sameera, Samirah.
See also: Arabic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'سميرة' (Arabic section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Samira' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Samira
The usual nicknames for Samira are Sami. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Samira in the last five years, 7 were named Sami, against 10 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sami | Modern | #4,969 | 123 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Samiras go by each one.
Samira popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #723 | 387 |
| 2020 | #928 | 279 |
| 2010 | #1,050 | 237 |
| 2000 | #1,156 | 175 |
| 1990 | #1,510 | 103 |
| 1980 | #2,041 | 52 |
| 1970 | #4,437 | 13 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Samira, counting every spelling?
Samira is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #602 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #723 for Samira on its own. Together these spellings went to 493 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samira | 387 | #723 | 1,753 |
| Samirah | 69 | #2,562 | 316 |
| Samyra | 29 | #4,737 | 182 |
| Samyrah | 8 | #11,754 | 41 |
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 Samira?
387 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Samira (0.11 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Samira 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 22 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Samira.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Samira?
About 8,800 people born in the US named Samira are alive today, with a median age of 16; half are between 7 and 26. That makes Samira 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.
Samira by state
How common Samira was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New York (2.3×), Minnesota (2.0×), Massachusetts (1.7×), Maryland (1.6×), Florida (1.6×). In 22 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Samira: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Samira, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Samira · Sibling names for Samira
Questions about the name Samira
What does Samira mean?
Samira means “companion in evening talk (Arabic)” (Arabic, Persian origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Samira?
Samira was the 723rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 387 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 402 places. More babies were named Samira in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Samira a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Samira in the US.
Where is Samira most popular?
In 2021–2025, Samira was most common in New York (0.49 per 1,000 girls), followed by Minnesota and Massachusetts.