Samantha is a feminine given name of American origin. It was created in the late 19th century by the American author and humorist, Sam Crawford. The name Samantha is derived from the male name Samuel, which means "name of God" or "God hears." The feminine form of Samuel was first used as a character name in Crawford's novel "Imitation of Life," published in 1846.
The popularity of the name Samantha grew steadily throughout the mid-to-late 20th century. In the United States, it peaked at number two on the Social Security Administration's list of most popular names for girls in 1987 and has remained a top-100 name ever since.
While Samantha is often associated with American culture, it is also used around the world. Variations of the name include Samanta (Spanish), Samanthi (Sri Lankan), and Samanta (Polish). Some famous individuals named Samantha include Samantha Power, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations, and Samantha Morton, an English actress.
Overall, Samantha is a popular and enduring feminine given name with roots in American literature. Its meaning, "name of God" or "God hears," gives it a strong and significant connotation.
The name Samantha has seen a significant rise and fall in popularity over the years in the United States. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, there were an average of around 8 to 10 births per year with this name. However, starting from 1982, the number of babies named Samantha began to rise dramatically, reaching a peak in 1989 with a total of 120 births.
This popularity continued throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, with over 50 births per year consistently. However, from around the mid-1990s onwards, the number of babies named Samantha started to decline steadily. By the year 2000, there were only about 20 births per year with this name.
This downward trend continued into the early 2000s and by 2007, the number of babies named Samantha had fallen to a low of just 7 births. This pattern has persisted until recent years, with an average of around 5 to 12 births per year from 2014 onwards.
In total, over the course of these statistics (from 1965 to 2017), there were 1,205 babies named Samantha born in the United States. This demonstrates how popular the name Samantha once was and its subsequent decline over time. Despite its recent decrease in popularity, Samantha remains a classic and timeless name with a significant history in the U.S.