Samuel vs Sam

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

Name A

Samuel

Boy name · Rank #17

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Name B

Sam

Boy name · Rank #650

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Samuel Sam
Current Rank #17 #650
Total Births (all years) 811,720 126,795
Peak Year 2001 1918
Peak Year Births 14,813 2,505
Peak Decade 2000ss 1920ss
Gender Boy Boy
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Samuel Sam
1880ss 9,129 5,069
1890ss 7,857 4,941
1900ss 8,149 6,161
1910ss 34,166 18,544
1920ss 43,362 20,844
1930ss 32,135 13,350
1940ss 43,127 12,351
1950ss 53,766 10,052
1960ss 44,250 8,652
1970ss 48,103 4,517
1980ss 73,460 4,040
1990ss 125,592 5,437
2000ss 138,622 5,748
2010ss 108,101 5,031
2020ss 41,901 2,058

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Samuel Sam
2014 11,024 523
2015 10,900 523
2016 10,615 478
2017 10,447 527
2018 9,850 453
2019 9,321 442
2020 8,585 402
2021 8,573 412
2022 8,414 418
2023 8,019 403
2024 8,310 423

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, 1880–2024.

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