Sam vs Samuel

Side-by-side comparison of Sam and Samuel - popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Sam

Boy name · Rank #650

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Name B

Samuel

Boy name · Rank #17

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Sam Samuel
Current Rank #650 #17
Total Births (all years) 127,234 820,196
Peak Year 1918 2001
Peak Year Births 2,506 14,813
Peak Decade 1920s 2000s
Gender Boy Boy
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Sam Samuel
1880s 5,069 9,129
1890s 4,941 7,857
1900s 6,161 8,149
1910s 18,544 34,166
1920s 20,844 43,362
1930s 13,350 32,135
1940s 12,351 43,129
1950s 10,052 53,767
1960s 8,657 44,247
1970s 4,516 48,099
1980s 4,038 73,456
1990s 5,437 125,597
2000s 5,752 138,647
2010s 5,034 108,128
2020s 2,488 50,328

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Sam Samuel
2014 523 11,029
2015 523 10,905
2016 478 10,621
2017 528 10,449
2018 453 9,854
2019 443 9,322
2020 402 8,594
2021 412 8,580
2022 418 8,427
2023 403 8,038
2024 425 8,355
2025 428 8,334

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1880–2025.

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