US rank #309 Girls' name Peak 2018 21,802 births

Samara — #309 US girls' name

21,802 babies named Samara in U.S. Social Security records since 1949, with the highest year being 2018. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1940s51950s681960s1801970s8981980s10821990s17722000s59672010s68522020s4978
#309
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 98% of names given to girls today.

2010s
Peak decade

31% of everyone ever named Samara was born in this single decade.

2018
Single peak year

1,270 babies were named Samara in 2018 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Samara

The Social Security Administration has registered 21,802 babies named Samara between 1949 and 2024, spanning 76 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Samara currently holds the #309 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 2018, when 1,270 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Samara performed strongest in the 2010s, accumulating 6,852 births during that ten-year window. Across the 9 decades of recorded activity, Samara shows a stable profile with only moderate drift from its peak decade. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 3,037 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and New York. In total, SSA state-level files list Samara in 46 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Samara in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 21,802 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Samara at a glance

Top 1,000 girls' name

Total births

21,802

Since 1949

76 years of records

Peak year

2018

1,270 births that year

Strongest decade: 2010s

Current rank

#309

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1949

Recorded for 76 years

Last year on file: 2024

Samara popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1949

Top 1,000 girls' name
Peak year (2018)
1,270
Annual births at peak — across 76 years of records
-50005001,0001,500 202420142004199419841974196419541949 5

Samara popularity over time — boys

5 total births recorded since 2023 (Samara as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 5 births
5 2023 5

Samara by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 2010s
Peak decade
2010s
6,852 births that decade — 31% of Samara's all-time total
1940s51950s681960s1801970s8981980s10821990s17722000s59672010s68522020s4978

Samara by state

Where Samara concentrates geographically — total births since 1949

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Samara
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
3,037 13.9%
#2 Texas
2,357 10.8%
#3 New York
1,995 9.2%
#4 Florida
1,401 6.4%
#5 Illinois
774 3.6%
#6 New Jersey
700 3.2%
#7 Pennsylvania
607 2.8%
#8 Ohio
594 2.7%
California share of Samara's total US births 13.9%
Even split

3,037 of 21,802 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.

Samara appears in 46 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Samara?
21,802 babies have been named Samara since 1949. It currently ranks #309 among girls. The peak year was 2018 with 1,270 births.
When was Samara most popular?
Samara was most popular in the 2010s decade with 6,852 total births. The single peak year was 2018.
Where is Samara most popular?
The top states for the name Samara are California (3,037 births), Texas (2,357 births), New York (1,995 births).
How long has the name Samara been used?
Samara has been recorded in Social Security data since 1949, spanning 76 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Samara?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Samantha, Samira, Sammie, Samiyah, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Samara

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1949–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.