Boys' name · since 1880

Sampson

Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 3,901 babies named Sampson, peaking in 2017. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#2,134 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#3,386 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
3,901
born since 1880
2010s
peak decade

Sampson currently ranks #3386 among boys' names in America, with 3,901 babies recorded since 1880.

Social Security Administration records show Sampson recorded 3,901 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #3386 nationally today, ahead of 76% of boys, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #2,134 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #3,386 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 3,901 born since 1880
  • 2010s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sampson ranks #2,134 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,386 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 3,901 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.

#2,134 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#3,386 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
3,901
born since 1880
2010s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%75.6%
Sampson vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Sampson's 3,901 recorded births place it above 95.3% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

18 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

18 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Sampson compares

3,901 Top 15% higher than 85% of 13,930 names currently given to boys

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Sampson's all-time total is 11x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Sampson Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 3,901 369 358,536
Peak-year births 61 34 22,252

Sampson's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Sampson's full recorded timeline at 1953, 62% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 38% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2017 peak of 61 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Sampson popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2017)
61
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
020406080 188018991918193719561975199420132025 34

Sampson by decade

2010s is the heaviest window (445 births, 11% of the file).

2010s was Sampson's strongest decade.

445 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 11% of all-time use.

Sampson births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2010s at 445 births (11% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Sampson compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Sampson's total volume

Sampson vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -62, 3.6%-37, 6.8%-124, 3%-81, 3.2%-64, 5.1%-29, 7.3%-109, 5.9%-47, 5.4%-146, 1.6%-17, 8.7%-138, 8.4%-55, 5.3%-146, 2.6%-63, 5%-112, 5.9%Sampson-146, 1.6%Sampson
Sampson vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Sampson by state

Where Sampson concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Sampson
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
117 3.0%
#2 South Carolina
69 1.8%
#3 North Carolina
52 1.3%
#4 Georgia
37 0.9%
#5 Alabama
32 0.8%
#6 Florida
29 0.7%
#7 Texas
16 0.4%
#8 New Mexico
15 0.4%
California share of Sampson's total US births 3.0%
Even split

117 of 3,901 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 18 reporting states.

Sampson appears in 18 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Sampson? ▼
3,901 babies have been named Sampson since 1880. All-time, it sits at #2,134 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #3,386 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 2017 with 61 births.
Where does Sampson sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sampson ranks #2,134 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,386 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Sampson most popular? ▼
Sampson was most popular in the 2010s decade with 445 total births. The single peak year was 2017.
Where is Sampson most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Sampson are California (117 births), South Carolina (69 births), North Carolina (52 births).
How long has the name Sampson been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Sampson since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Sampson? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Samuel, Sam, Sammy, Sammie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Sampson's data

  • Sampson's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (445 total births) through the 2020s (251) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • California records the most Sampsons (117 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Sampson

Nearby Names Like Sampson

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sampson

Samuel Boy
#18 820,196 births
Sam Boy
#647 127,234 births
Sammy Boy
#1853 43,382 births
Sammie Boy
#5613 20,836 births
Samson Boy
#477 12,879 births

Compare Sampson side by side: Sampson vs Samuel Sampson vs Sam Sampson vs Sammy

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Sampson

Marshal #3385
5,485 births · Peak 1999
Gaston #3387
4,053 births · Peak 1918
Herschel #3384
10,674 births · Peak 1921
Jonny #3388
3,401 births · Peak 2008
Art #3383
6,141 births · Peak 1961
Edvin #3389
1,065 births · Peak 2006
Johnson #3382
7,021 births · Peak 2000
Thane #3390
2,604 births · Peak 2015

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Sampson: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Sampson draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.