NamesBoyS › Sam
Boy name

Sam

/ˈsæm/ · 99% boys · #647 in the US for boys, 2025

Sam has been given to about 128,810 people in the United States since 1880. It was most common in 1918, which makes it a Edwardian name.

Meaning
Origin
Syllables1
Pronunciation/ˈsæm/
Nicknames
Living in the US≈ 58,518
Median age today62 years

Popularity, 1880–2025

Babies named Sam per year · SSA, ONS, NRS, CSO, INSEE and SSB
18802025
United StatesEngland & WalesScotlandIrelandFranceNorwayeach scaled to its own peak
  • Peak year1918 · 2,529
  • Born in 2025452
  • All time128,810
  • England & Wales, 2025#363 · 115

How popular is Sam?

Sam ranks 647th among American boys in 2025, with 452 born that year. Its best year was 1918, when 2,529 babies were given the name, ranking 75th. The typical living American called Sam is about 62 years old today. It is relatively most common in Montana, where it accounts for 0.09% of births.

Names that sound like Sam

Phonetic similarity, 0–1
  1. Sammy0.68
  2. Sami0.64
  3. Adam0.55
  4. Liam0.55
  5. Zack0.57
  6. Salem0.56
  7. Shay0.53
  8. Samir0.53

Middle names for Sam

Ranked by flow score
  1. Sam Thomas0.74
  2. Sam Cole0.73
  3. Sam Wilder0.72
  4. Sam James0.71
  5. Sam Miles0.63
  6. Sam John0.55

Sibling names for Sam

Same era, comparable use, no clash
  1. Lewisbrother · 0.97
  2. Almasister · 0.97
  3. Clydebrother · 0.97
  4. Verasister · 0.96
  5. Harveybrother · 0.96
  6. Leonasister · 0.96

Where Sam is strongest

Share of 2025 births by state
  1. Montana0.09%
  2. Utah0.04%
  3. Nevada0.03%
  4. Oregon0.03%
  5. Idaho0.03%

With a common surname

Flow score against the most-used American surnames · try your own
  1. Sam Evans0.73
  2. Sam Edwards0.73
  3. Sam Anderson0.70
  4. Sam Allen0.70
  5. Sam Adams0.70
  6. Sam Wilson0.69

How to read these numbers

Every score on this page is explained
  1. Phonetic similarity0–1
  2. Middle-name flow0–1
  3. Sibling fit0–1
  4. Living population estimatemethod
  5. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Sources for Sam

Every figure on this page is public record
  1. United States1880–2025
  2. England & Wales1996–2025
  3. Scotland1974–2020
  4. Ireland1998–2019
  5. France1900–2025
  6. Norway1945–2025
  7. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Sam across America

Share of 2025 births in each state. Darker means more common.
ME
WA
VT
NH
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
CA
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
DC
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
SC
AK
TX
GA
FL
HI
raremost common

Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.