Sam is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Sam means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Sam across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Sam has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Sam is a boy name of Hebrew origin meaning “God has heard”. a short form of Samuel or Samantha.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 128,810 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 20,952 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 4,202 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 1,089 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 4,158 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 2,347 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Sam per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1918 (2,529/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (1,646/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2004 (217/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2010 (210/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2006 (70/yr).
Sam has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1918, when it ranked #176 nationally (given to 2,529 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1910s.
Sammy · Sammie · Samiya · Samya · Samaya · Sami · Sim · Sama
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