Unisex name ★ peaked 2021

Samar

Meaning From Spanish Sámar, from Waray-Waray samad Gender Unisex · 46% girls Rank 2025 #2,329 Trend ↓ Falling 15%

From Spanish Sámar, from Waray-Waray samad.

Rank 2025
#2,329
among boys · ↓20 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
89
named Samar
How common
1 in 28,468
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2021
117 babies
All-time total
2,385
#4,398 all-time among boys
First recorded
1972
in Social Security records

Samar popularity over time

2,385 babies have been named Samar since 1972, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.020.040.060.0818801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s 60 26 86 9 – #4,960
1980s 173 32 205 21 +138% #4,520
1990s 245 50 295 30 +44% #5,769
2000s 203 193 396 40 +34% #2,890
2010s 265 555 820 82 +107% #1,955
2020s (to 2025) 161 422 583 97 +18% #1,790

Where Samar is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 59 0.03 outside top 500
2027 58 0.03 outside top 500
2028 57 0.03 outside top 500
2029 56 0.03 outside top 500
2030 55 0.03 outside top 500

Where Samar is most popular

Boys named Samar per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.041 per 1,000. Strongest in New Jersey, California, and Virginia.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Samar born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New Jersey 32 0.159 +287%
California 89 0.097 +137%
Virginia 12 0.063 +54%
Illinois 10 0.039 -5%
Pennsylvania 10 0.038 -8%
Texas 32 0.036 -12%
Washington 5 0.031 -26%
New York 10 0.023 -44%
North Carolina 5 0.020 -52%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Samar

Samar is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,329 in 2025 with 60 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1972, 2,385 American babies have been named Samar, about 54% boys and 46% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2021, when 117 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Samar stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Samar?

The median living Samar is about 12 years old; half are between 6 and 25. An estimated 2,400 people named Samar are alive in the United States today.

median 12 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Samar year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 29 #4,736 60 #2,329
2024 27 #5,006 62 #2,309
2023 27 #4,975 56 #2,432
2022 24 #5,439 92 #1,790
2021 32 #4,394 85 #1,836
2020 22 #5,634 67 #2,110
2019 30 #4,635 73 #2,014
2018 28 #4,868 76 #1,955
2017 28 #4,905 72 #1,998
2016 31 #4,613 67 #2,106
2015 29 #4,833 62 #2,204
2014 28 #5,008 60 #2,249
2013 21 #6,211 46 #2,617
2012 22 #6,075 36 #3,160
2011 15 #8,131 32 #3,417
2010 33 #4,479 31 #3,513
2009 17 #7,628 17 #5,508
2008 18 #7,352 24 #4,241
2007 16 #8,024 26 #3,979
2006 13 #9,180 25 #3,975
2005 18 #6,766 37 #2,890
2004 22 #5,720 22 #4,109
2003 27 #4,790 9 #7,717
2002 26 #4,737 12 #6,005
2001 17 #6,574 16 #4,851
2000 29 #4,271 5 #11,812
1995 21 #4,811 6 #8,688
1990 21 #4,655 7 #7,037
1985 17 #4,606 – –
1980 13 #5,478 6 #6,109
1975 8 #6,993 – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Samar, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Samar?

The median living Samar is about 12 years old. Half of all living Samars are between 6 and 25 years old.

How many people named Samar are alive today?

An estimated 2,400 people named Samar are alive in the United States, based on 2,385 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Samar mean?

From Spanish Sámar, from Waray-Waray samad.

How popular is the name Samar in 2025?

Samar ranked #2,329 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 60 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Samar?

2,385 babies have been named Samar in the United States since 1972, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Samar most popular?

Samar peaked in 2021, when 117 newborns received the name.

Is Samar a boy or girl name?

Samar is used for both: about 46% of babies named Samar have been girls and 54% boys.

Is the name Samar rising or falling?

Samar is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Samar become more popular?

Samar is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 55 boys named Samar in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Samar

Names that sound and feel close to Samar: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Samar with similar names → More names starting with S →