How popular is the baby name Samantha in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Samantha.

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Popularity of the baby name Samantha


Posts that mention the name Samantha

Baby names that fell the fastest in the U.S. data, 1881 to today (relative decrease)

fallen leaves

We looked at the top baby name rises last month, so this month let’s look at the opposite: the top drops. That is, the baby names that decreased the most in usage, percentage-wise, from one year to the next in the Social Security Administration’s data.

Here’s the format: girl names are on the left, boy names are on the right, and the percentages represent single-year slides in usage. (For example, from 1880 to 1881, usage of the girl name Clementine dropped 68% and usage of the boy name Neil dropped 76%.)

1880s

  • 1881: Clementine, -68%; Neil, -76%
  • 1882: Malissa, -56%; Verne, -67%
  • 1883: Minna, -67%; Morton, -74%
  • 1884: Roxy, -62%; Ellsworth & Newt, -60%
  • 1885: Sina, -68%; Clarance, -74%
  • 1886: Cordia, Dicie & Johnie, -64%; Adelbert, -69%
  • 1887: Faith, -69%; Hardy, -73%
  • 1888: Diana & Hope, -63%; Connie, -55%
  • 1889: Zilpha, -71%; Wendell, -71%

1890s

  • 1890: Buena, -60%; Alvie, -69%
  • 1891: Odie, -65%; Pierce, -76%
  • 1892: Eudora, -67%; Maude, -58%
  • 1893: Lollie, -65%; Levy, -64%
  • 1894: Macy, -64%; Lindsay, -76%
  • 1895: Gina, Laurel & Pennie, -69%; Alvie & Urban, -65%
  • 1896: Dagmar, -75%; Talmage, -67%
  • 1897: Myrta & Ouida, -75%; Benton, -68%
  • 1898: Fae, -71%; Fate, -74%
  • 1899: Rosia, -80%; Fitzhugh, -79%

1900s

  • 1900: Irva, -74%; Dora, -69%
  • 1901: Leonore, -75%; Judge, -81%
  • 1902: Veva, -74%; Davis, -72%
  • 1903: Littie & Samantha, -67%; Hunter, -67%
  • 1904: Genie, -71%; Bessie & Reynold, -67%
  • 1905: Luberta, -75%; Randall, -67%
  • 1906: Dulcie, -75%; Patsy, -69%
  • 1907: Libbie, -71%; Geo, -59%
  • 1908: Aurore, -75%; Elden & Minor, -67%
  • 1909: Arnetta, -68%; Tracy, -75%

1910s

  • 1910: Lollie, -67%; Hadley, -64%
  • 1911: Nada, -72%; Shelton, -73%
  • 1912: Carla, -71%; Rosendo, -67%
  • 1913: Vassie, -67%; Auburn, -67%
  • 1914: Coy & Maryelizabeth, -64%: Hosey, -78%
  • 1915: Thomasine, -67%; Giacomo, -67%
  • 1916: Zudora, -75%; Remus, -72%
  • 1917: Athalie, -78%; Tatsuo, -82%
  • 1918: Theta, -74%; Lennis, -72%
  • 1919: Liberty, -83%; Foch, -84%

1920s

  • 1920: Veatrice, -77%; Pershing, -73%
  • 1921: Fidela & Theone, -70%; Cleven, -71%
  • 1922: Angelyn & Renata, -75%; Dail, -73%
  • 1923: Odilia, -83%; Ugo & Waino, -74%
  • 1924: Gladine, -71%; Masayuki, -72%
  • 1925: Williemae, -72%; Emitt, -72%
  • 1926: Patrice, -75%; Ann, -78%
  • 1927: Vila, -75%; Boston, -76%
  • 1928: Kazue, -79%; Shoji, -93%
  • 1929: Livia, -81%; Tatsuo, -82%

1930s

  • 1930: Ivalee, -71%; Deforest, -72%
  • 1931: Emaline, -76%; Audley, -75%
  • 1932: Zulema, -80%; Hale, -77%
  • 1933: Dessa, -78%; Burleigh, -79%
  • 1934: Nira, -81%; Overton, -71%
  • 1935: Claudean, -73%; Hester, -74%
  • 1936: Norita, -79%; Kenley, -79%
  • 1937: Adel & Berdine, -71%; Grace, -78%
  • 1938: Ever, -75%; Casimiro, -75%
  • 1939: Walda, -74%; Butler, -74%

The SSA data isn’t perfect, but it does become more accurate in the late 1930s, because “many people born before 1937 never applied for a Social Security card, so their names are not included in our data” (SSA). Now, back to the list…

1940s

  • 1940: Avalon & Ellouise, -75%; Jacque, -71%
  • 1941: Lassie, -71%; Faye & Lemar, -71%
  • 1942: Voncille, -75%; Meyer, -70%
  • 1943: Mahala, -76%; Ewing, -76%
  • 1944: Kyle, -77%; Griffith, -77%
  • 1945: Sherrianne, -74%; Ellwood, Kern & Pascal, -67%
  • 1946: Bettyjo, -71%; Adrien, -77%
  • 1947: Judye, -76%; Bernardino, -72%
  • 1948: Tilda, -78%; Saverio, -74%
  • 1949: Vickii, -77%; Alphonza, -75%

1950s

  • 1950: Ranelle, -78%; Agapito, -68%
  • 1951: Vallorie, -90%; Skippy, -72%
  • 1952: Laural, -76%; Edson, -74%
  • 1953: Annelle & Otilia, -72%; Gerrit, -70%
  • 1954: Trenace, -81%; Celso, -76%
  • 1955: Jyl, -79%; Garrie & Robet, -74%
  • 1956: Cerise, -79%; Orlin, -74%
  • 1957: Angelene, -77%; Ruby, -76%
  • 1958: Seneca, -80%; Darryel & Richerd, -72%
  • 1959: Elfrida, -82%; Dietrich, -75%

1960s

  • 1960: Jinny, -72%; Ardis, -74%
  • 1961: Perian, -91%; Cully, -84%
  • 1962: Chantay, -80%; Torin, -73%
  • 1963: Marnita, -82%; Isidore, -75%
  • 1964: Julann, -79%; Tandy, -75%
  • 1965: Tonjua, -90%; Jaimie, -86%
  • 1966: Charlet & Desi, -77%; Glennon, -74%
  • 1967: Jeryl, -83%; Haskell, -72%
  • 1968: Millette, -88%; Daneil, -77%
  • 1969: Lya, -81%; Athony, -73%

1970s

  • 1970: Cinamon, -77%; Aldrin, -77%
  • 1971: Chimene, -77%; Garet, -74%
  • 1972: Jurea, -83%; Rayvon, -77%
  • 1973: Dayatra, -86%; Keelan, -70%
  • 1974: Shondell, -78%; Efraim, -71%
  • 1975: Natonya, -78%; Imari, -76%
  • 1976: Okema, -87%; Nakia, -79%
  • 1977: Liberty, -79%; Tierre, -81%
  • 1978: Farrah, -78%; Quint, -77%
  • 1979: Danetta, -77%; Kinte, -84%

1980s

  • 1980: Vernee, -77%; Kendra, -75%
  • 1981: Santresa, -80%; Jerritt, -74%
  • 1982: Andres, -75%; Stavros, -78%
  • 1983: Tremaine, -81%; Nicanor, -75%
  • 1984: Tyechia, -81%; Jeris, -77%
  • 1985: Gricel, -89%; Duron, -76%
  • 1986: Celenia, -83%; Damiano, -76%
  • 1987: Tareva, -86%; Krystal, -75%
  • 1988: Jeree, -82%; Jammal, -80%
  • 1989: Neyva, -77%; Derrel, -76%

1990s

  • 1990: Catherin, -93%; Salvator, -88%
  • 1991: Tichina, -80%; Arsenio, -76%
  • 1992: Unnamed, -88%; Unnamed, -86% [2nd place: Emilce & Symba, -83%; Quayshaun, -80%]
  • 1993: Akeiba, -88%; Evelyn & Jawara, -71%
  • 1994: Kebrina, -86%; Farrell, -79%
  • 1995: Noheli, -84%; Ajee, -79%
  • 1996: Shatasha, -81%; Unknown, -77%
  • 1997: Hydia, -80%, Halston, -79%
  • 1998: Ajaysia, -77%; Jachai, -91%
  • 1999: Naidelyn, -86%; Denzil, -79%

2000s

  • 2000: Shanequa, -82%; Giovan, -75%
  • 2001: Berania, -78%; Devontre, -75%
  • 2002: Anallely, -86%; Caziah, -81%
  • 2003: Jnaya, -88%; Tyheim, -81%
  • 2004: Nayzeth, -89%; Myzel, -75%
  • 2005: Jenascia, -93%; Hannah, -87%
  • 2006: Babygirl, -86%; Infant, -91% [Counting legit names only: Mikalah, -82%; Jakyri, -79%]
  • 2007: Bethzy, -91%; Brasen, -83%
  • 2008: Lizania, -86%; Duvan, -79%
  • 2009: Aideliz, -88%; Kesan, -78%

2010s

  • 2010: Chastelyn, -95%; Yanixan, -87%
  • 2011: Samuel, -79%; Tiger, -80%
  • 2012: Thaily, -78%; Vadhir, -88%
  • 2013: Shanik, -88%; Oneil, -77%
  • 2014: Audris & Avalie, -80%; Sy, -73%
  • 2015: Rion, -83%; Rawley, -79%
  • 2016: Yazaira, -84%; Treysen, -79%
  • 2017: Brucha, -76%; Makana, -79%
  • 2018: Yuleimy, -85%; Neizan, -78%
  • 2019: Anifer, -86%; Nomar & Gianlucas, -73%

2020s

  • 2020: Diala, -81%; Daer, -80%
  • 2021: Ashvi, -76%; Dontavious, -78%
  • 2022: Ciena, -78%; Kiko, -77%
  • 2023: Kia & Yeyetzi, -76%; Majestic, -77%
  • 2024: Brisley, -85%; Darikson, -80%

(Did you catch the doubles? Alvie, Tatsuo, and Fae/Faye.)

Top drops aren’t quite as exciting as top rises, but certain ones become much more intriguing when you notice that they were also top rises:

  • Rose-then-dropped: Clarance, Lollie, Lindsay, Zudora, Tatsuo, Liberty, Norita, Vallorie, Krystal, Seneca, Nakia, Mikalah, Bethzy, Thaily
  • Dropped-then-rose: Clementine, Malissa, Diana, Alvie, Pierce, Judge, Rosendo

I’ve already written about some of the names above (click the links to see the posts) and I plan to write about a few of the others. In the meanwhile, though, feel free to beat me to it — leave a comment and let us know why you think any of these names saw dropped in usage when they did.

Source: SSA

Image: Adapted from Fall (6282684630) by Kenny Louie under CC BY 2.0.

[Latest update: May 2025]

How did “Bewitched” influence baby names in the 1960s?

Title of the TV series "Bewitched" (1964-1972)
“Bewitched“

The fantasy sitcom Bewitched — about a magical witch who, after marrying a mortal man, tries to live the life of a normal suburban housewife — premiered in September of 1964 and ran all the way until 1972.

Like many popular TV shows, it had a noticeable influence on U.S. baby names. For instance…

The character Samantha Stephens from the TV series "Bewitched" (1964-1972)
Samantha Stephens from “Bewitched“

Samantha

The name Samantha, which had ranked far outside the top 1,000 for most of the 20th century, skyrocketed in popularity in the mid-1960s thanks to nose-wiggling main character Samantha Stephens, played by Elizabeth Montgomery.

  • 1968: 2,339 baby girls named Samantha [rank: 136th]
  • 1967: 1,806 baby girls named Samantha [rank: 176th]
  • 1966: 1,794 baby girls named Samantha [rank: 182nd]
  • 1965: 1,963 baby girls named Samantha [rank: 179th]
  • 1964: 421 baby girls named Samantha [rank: 473rd]
  • 1963: 73 baby girls named Samantha

The name went on to reach top-5 status during most of the 1990s (with a lot of help from another fictional Samantha: Samantha Micelli from the ’80s sitcom Who’s the Boss?).

Montgomery also played the part of Samantha’s cousin Serena, who was a recurring character during later seasons of the show. The name Serena saw higher usage in the late ’60s and early ’70s as a result.

The character Darrin Stephens from the TV series "Bewitched" (1964-1972)
Darrin Stephens from “Bewitched“

Darrin

The name Darrin was boosted to its highest-ever usage in 1965 thanks to Samantha’s husband Darrin Stephens, originally played by Dick York.

  • 1968: 2,078 baby boys named Darrin [rank: 138th]
  • 1967: 2,029 baby boys named Darrin [rank: 141st]
  • 1966: 2,568 baby boys named Darrin [rank: 119th]
  • 1965: 3,257 baby boys named Darrin [rank: 102nd] – peak usage
  • 1964: 801 baby boys named Darrin [rank: 272nd]
  • 1963: 310 baby boys named Darrin [rank: 450th]

In fact, all the various spellings of Darrin saw peak usage in 1965. The most common spelling of the name, Darren, reached 52nd place in the rankings that year. Also in the top 1,000 were Darin (123th), Daren (271st), Darron (408th), Daron (494th) Daryn (717th), and Darryn (818th).

The character Endora from the TV series "Bewitched" (1964-1972)
Endora from “Bewitched“

Endora

The rare name Endora debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 1965, thanks to Samantha’s flamboyant and moderately villainous witch-mother Endora, played by Agnes Moorehead.

  • 1968: 7 baby girls named Endora
  • 1967: 17 baby girls named Endora
  • 1966: 19 baby girls named Endora
  • 1965: 28 baby girls named Endora [debut]
  • 1964: unlisted
  • 1963: unlisted

Endora was so dismissive of Darrin that she nearly never bothered to say his name correctly, calling him things like Derwood, Dagwood, Darwick, Dumpkin, and so forth.

Endora’s own name was inspired by the biblical Witch of Endor; “Endor” was an ancient Canaanite city.

Tabatha & Tabitha

The names Tabatha and Tabitha were both featured on Bewitched, confusingly.

Samantha and Darrin’s first child was a baby girl born in January of 1966. They named her Tabitha, a name favored in the storyline by Endora (“Whatever you call her, I shall call her Tabitha”).

Behind the scenes, it was Elizabeth Montgomery who’d suggested the character name Tabitha — spelled the traditional way, with an i.

But, for some unknown reason, the name was spelled Tabatha — with an a — on the credit role. Montgomery was later quoted as saying: “Honestly, I shudder every time I see it. It’s like a squeaky piece of chalk scratching on my nerves.” The spelling wasn’t corrected until season 5 (1968-1969).

Accordingly, the usage of both baby names rose during the ’60s, with Tabatha ranking higher than Tabitha for a three-year stretch before the spelling mistake in the credits was corrected:

Girls named TabithaGirls named Tabatha
1971947 [rank: 295th]543 [rank: 398th]
19701,049 [rank: 279th]585 [rank: 401st]
1969944 [rank: 297th]657 [rank: 355th]
1968549 [rank: 391st]702 [rank: 328th]
1967444 [rank: 450th]581 [rank: 378th]
1966327 [rank: 524th]500 [rank: 419th]
1965345*
196422.
196320.
*Debut

Adam

The name Adam became trendy following the birth of Samantha and Darrin’s second child, Adam, in October of 1969.

  • 1972: 5,748 baby boys named Adam [rank: 51st]
  • 1971: 5,855 baby boys named Adam [rank: 57th]
  • 1970: 4,320 baby boys named Adam [rank: 71st]
  • 1969: 2,869 baby boys named Adam [rank: 113th]
  • 1968: 2,546 baby boys named Adam [rank: 119th]
  • 1967: 2,528 baby boys named Adam [rank: 118th]

After continuing to increase in popularity during the 1970s, the name reached top-20 status for several years during the early 1980s.

So, are you a fan of Bewitched? Which names from the show do you like the best?

Sources:

Images: Screenshots of Bewitched

[Latest update: May 2024]

Popular baby names in Northern Canada, 2015

yukon

A few years ago, CBC News used data from the vital statistics offices of Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon to determine that the most popular baby names in northern Canada in 2015 were Sophia and Liam.

The top 5 girl names and top 5 boy names in the 3 regions (combined) in 2015 were…

Girl Names
1. Sophia, 7 baby girls
2. Abigail, 7
3. Amelia, 7
4. Avery, 6
5. Autumn, 6

Boy Names
1. Liam, 13 baby boys
2. Jacob, 7
3. Elijah, 7
4. James, 6
5. William, 5

And the #1 names in each territory specifically were…

  • Nunavut (898 births total): Anna, Samantha and Sarah (3-way tie) and Liam, Mason and Sandy (3-way tie)
  • Northwest Territories (687 births total): Abigail and Liam
  • Yukon (443 births total): Sophia and Jack

I don’t have any earlier data for Nunavut or NWT, but I do have a post about the top names in the Yukon from 1991 to 2015.

Source: Liam and Sophia most popular baby names in 2015 in the territories

Popular baby names in New York City, 2016

Flag of New York
Flag of New York

According to New York City’s Health Department, the most popular baby names in the city last year were Olivia and Liam.

Here are New York City’s top 50 girl names and top 50+ boy names of 2016:

Girl names

  1. Olivia, 564 baby girls
  2. Sophia, 557
  3. Emma, 525
  4. Isabella, 469
  5. Mia, 468
  6. Ava, 450
  7. Emily, 388
  8. Leah, 348
  9. Sarah, 338
  10. Madison, 325
  11. Charlotte, 320 (tie)
  12. Sofia, 320 (tie)
  13. Chloe, 314
  14. Abigail, 285
  15. Rachel, 269
  16. Victoria, 256
  17. Amelia, 254
  18. Esther, 248
  19. Zoe, 244
  20. Maya, 239
  21. Elizabeth, 220
  22. Grace, 213
  23. Camila, 197 (tie)
  24. Ella, 197 (tie)
  25. Sara, 196
  26. Riley, 189
  27. Chaya, 183
  28. Valentina, 182
  29. Ariana, 177
  30. Hannah, 169
  31. Chana, 166 (tie)
  32. Miriam, 166 (tie)
  33. Hailey, 164
  34. Gabriella, 158
  35. Ashley, 157 (tie)
  36. Penelope, 157 (tie)
  37. Scarlett, 156
  38. Layla, 152
  39. Alexandra, 149
  40. Evelyn, 145
  41. Samantha, 142
  42. Mila, 141
  43. Aria, 139
  44. Avery, 138 (tie)
  45. Zoey, 138 (tie)
  46. Alice, 137 (tie)
  47. Arianna, 137 (tie)
  48. Eva, 135 (tie)
  49. Kayla, 135 (tie)
  50. Alexa, 134

Boy names

  1. Liam, 710 baby boys
  2. Jacob, 696
  3. Ethan, 690
  4. Noah, 631
  5. Aiden, 536
  6. Matthew, 535
  7. Daniel, 522
  8. Lucas, 503
  9. Michael, 502
  10. Dylan, 495
  11. David, 479
  12. Alexander, 476
  13. Jayden, 464
  14. Ryan, 437
  15. Joseph, 421
  16. Sebastian, 396
  17. Mason, 395
  18. James, 383
  19. Benjamin, 379
  20. Joshua, 328
  21. Samuel, 326
  22. William, 304
  23. Christopher, 303
  24. Isaac, 301
  25. Aaron, 296
  26. Henry, 295
  27. Anthony, 292 (tie)
  28. Gabriel, 292 (tie)
  29. Adam, 280
  30. Logan, 276 (tie)
  31. Nicholas, 276 (tie)
  32. Oliver, 270
  33. Elijah, 264
  34. John, 263
  35. Nathan, 249
  36. Andrew, 247
  37. Moshe, 242
  38. Jonathan, 241
  39. Julian, 238
  40. Jack, 227
  41. Abraham, 224
  42. Adrian, 222 (tie)
  43. Justin, 222 (tie)
  44. Leo, 220
  45. Christian, 206 (tie)
  46. Josiah, 206 (tie)
  47. Jeremiah, 202
  48. Angel, 200
  49. Muhammad, 193
  50. Eli, 188 (4-way tie)
  51. Ian, 188 (4-way tie)
  52. Jason, 188 (4-way tie)
  53. Kevin, 188 (4-way tie)

The top baby names within specific ethnic/racial groups were…

Top girl namesTop boy names
Hispanic1. Isabella, 276
2. Sophia, 261
3. Mia, 228
4. Emma, 197
5. Camila, 180		1. Liam, 387
2. Jacob, 351
3. Dylan, 312
4. Matthew, 297
5. Noah, 269
Asian and Pacific Islander1. Olivia, 172
2. Chloe, 112
3. Sophia, 104
4. Emily, 99 (tie)
5. Emma, 99 (tie)		1. Ethan, 193
2. Ryan, 160
3. Muhammad, 157
4. Lucas, 148
5. Jayden, 138
Non-Hispanic White1. Olivia, 230
2. Rachel, 221
3. Esther, 209
4. Sarah, 202
5. Emma, 201		1. Joseph, 261
2. Michael, 260
3. David, 255
4. Moshe, 239
5. Jacob, 236
Non-Hispanic Black1. Ava, 109
2. Madison, 104
3. Skylar, 68
4. Riley, 65
5. Aaliyah, 57		1. Noah, 148
2. Aiden, 137
3. Elijah, 116
4. Liam, 108
5. Ethan, 107

Among the names given to just 10 babies each in NYC last year were the girl names Amberly, Florence, Jannatul, Paloma, and Thalia, and the boy names Henri, Ibraheem, Mordche, Oumar, and Terry.

One year earlier, in 2015, NYC’s top names (overall) were Olivia and Ethan.

Sources (all originally from NYC.gov):

Image: Adapted from Flag of New York (public domain)

[Latest update: Nov. 2025]