Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Sam

Say it SAM 1 syllable

English · from Samuel, “'God has set' or 'God has placed'”

Loved in the Netherlands. Common in Sweden, Ireland, and 1 more place. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 15 more places.

1 in 224 boys born in Ireland in 2025. Number 50 there.

Sam in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 1, common in 3, rare in 20.
Sam in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales363 (down)20251151 in 2,3652602020
Scotland144 (down)2025311 in 6341322020
Northern Ireland149 (down)2025151 in 5521232020
Ireland50 (up)20251061 in 224532020
North America
Ontario (province)283 (down)202448about 1 in 1,2472042019
Quebec (province)108 (down)202564about 1 in 454782020
British Columbia (province)290 (up)202311about 1 in 1,1832972018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Victoria (state)Not in the published top 1012025Not listed2020
Queensland (state)Not in the published top 1012025Not listed2020
South Australia (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
New ZealandNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Western Europe
France293 (down)20251801 in 1,6822672020
Netherlands8 (up)2025605about 1 in 110122020
Central Europe
Austria240 (up)2025241 in 1,5862752020
Switzerland229 (down)2025361 in 1,0002202020
Berlin (city)227 (down)202315about 1 in 1,0341812018
Munich (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Cologne (city)115 (up)202311about 1 in 5801482018
Bonn (city)97 (down)20256about 1 in 528712020
Leipzig (city)112 (up)20255about 1 in 5751542020
Rostock (city)Rare: below the complete list2025832020
Nordic countries
Norway274 (down)2025141 in 1,6631792020
Sweden14 (up)2025421about 1 in 102222020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)249 (up)2025161 in 1,2942752020
Italy721 (new in the list)2024121 in 15,780Not listed2019
Central and Eastern Europe
PolandRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
Israel (published as סאם)382 (up)202432about 1 in 2,6595422019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. Israel publishes names in Hebrew script; the original is shown beside the name. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Short for Samuel, Sam has long been used as a name in its own right. The meaning comes from Samuel: 'God has set' or 'God has placed'. Samuel is the name of the biblical prophet.

2 more paragraphs

A single syllable, SAM, gives it a short, open, friendly sound that pairs easily with longer surnames. Related forms include Samuel and Sammy.

Sam is especially popular in the Netherlands and Sweden, where it ranks among the leading names, and it holds a place in Ireland. It is less common in Quebec, Scotland and Switzerland. French records put its peak in the late 2000s, and the current trend is mixed, with about as many places rising as falling.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
SAM · 1 syllable
Meaning
from Samuel, “'God has set' or 'God has placed'”
Origin
English
Related names
Samuel, Sēn, Sammy
Where Sam comes from (Wiktionary)

From Samuel.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Sam. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Sam over time

Rising in 5 of the 19 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 6. Peak in France: 2007.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Sam in England and Wales: #47 in 1996, and #363 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300#1,000200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #47, 1,638 boys1997: #47, 1,562 boys1998: #49, 1,441 boys1999: #50, 1,375 boys2000: #55, 1,211 boys2001: #55, 1,132 boys2002: #57, 1,069 boys2003: #63, 981 boys2004: #53, 1,227 boys2005: #67, 1,009 boys2006: #72, 952 boys2007: #76, 869 boys2008: #79, 901 boys2009: #88, 735 boys2010: #93, 692 boys2011: #112, 579 boys2012: #124, 522 boys2013: #128, 465 boys2014: #140, 405 boys2015: #177, 330 boys2016: #186, 300 boys2017: #203, 263 boys2018: #207, 261 boys2019: #249, 197 boys2020: #260, 181 boys2021: #293, 161 boys2022: #284, 158 boys2023: #310, 142 boys2024: #334, 131 boys2025: #363, 115 boyspeak #47, 1996#363in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996471,638
1997471,562
1998491,441
1999501,375
2000551,211
2001551,132
2002571,069
200363981
2004531,227
2005671,009
200672952
200776869
200879901
200988735
201093692
2011112579
2012124522
2013128465
2014140405
2015177330
2016186300
2017203263
2018207261
2019249197
2020260181
2021293161
2022284158
2023310142
2024334131
2025363115

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in France

Half of the boys named Sam in France since 1925 were born in or after 2009. Peak: 2007, about 74 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 1.3 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 0 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 0 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 0 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 0.7 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 0.7 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 0.9 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 1.3 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 1.1 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 3.1 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 2.3 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 3.2 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 5.3 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 10 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 27.5 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 54.6 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 68.8 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 55.6 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 54.7 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 59.7 per 100,000 boys20202025: 59.5 per 100,000 boys20252005-2009: about 1 in 1,454 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19291.3
1930–19340
1935–19390
1940–19440
1945–19490.7
1950–19540.7
1955–19590.9
1960–19641.3
1965–19691.1
1970–19743.1
1975–19792.3
1980–19843.2
1985–19895.3
1990–199410
1995–199927.5
2000–200454.6
2005–200968.8
2010–201455.6
2015–201954.7
2020–202459.7
202559.5

Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Sam

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Sam, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 196, Ireland

  2. 1 in 214, Ireland

  3. 1 in 99, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 159, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 312, Ireland

  6. 1 in 317, Scotland

  7. 1 in 230, Northern Ireland

  8. 1 in 66, Poland

  9. 1 in 192, England and Wales

  10. 1 in 1,105, England and Wales

All 40 brother names for Sam

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Sam's 1 syllable and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 187, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 118, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 105, Ireland

  6. 1 in 130, Scotland

  7. 1 in 67, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 62, Poland

Full-name check

Sam Oliver

Syllables 1-3Initials S.O.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Sam

Sisters for Sam: Kate, Hope, Naomi, and 5 more
  1. KateRose and fell with Sam · Same generation as Sam
  2. HopeRose and fell with Sam · Same generation as Sam
  3. NaomiRose and fell with Sam · Same generation as Sam
  4. MelodyRose and fell with Sam · English, like Sam
  5. HaileyRose and fell with Sam · Same generation as Sam
  6. VictoriaRose and fell with Sam · Same generation as Sam
  7. LanaRose and fell with Sam · Same generation as Sam
  8. NinaRose and fell with Sam · Same generation as Sam

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Sam

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Sam's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 9 more places.

  2. Rare in England and Wales, Italy, Poland, and 9 more places.

  3. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 15 more places.

  4. Rare across the UK, Italy, Poland, and 14 more places.

  5. Rare in Poland, Israel, Sweden, and 11 more places.

  6. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 15 more places.

  7. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 19 more places.

  8. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 17 more places.

Famous people named Sam

Sam Altman, Sam Worthington, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Sam

How popular is Sam in Ireland?

Sam ranked #50 in Ireland in 2025, given to 106 boys, about 1 in 224.

Is Sam rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 5 of the 19 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 6. Rising in: Israel, Cologne, Leipzig, Austria, and Catalonia.

What does Sam mean?

Sam comes from Samuel, which means “'God has set' or 'God has placed'”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Sam have?

Sam has 1 syllable: SAM.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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