Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2025

Sami

Meaning land Gender Unisex · 21% girls Rank 2025 #1,114 Trend ↑ Rising 23%

From Northern Sami Sápmi, from one of the Sami languages, of uncertain origin/meaning, but possibly related to Proto-Balto-Slavic *źémijāˀ (“land”).

Rank 2025
#1,114
among boys · ↑155 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
220
named Sami · +24% vs 2024
How common
1 in 8,850
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
220 babies
All-time total
6,727
#1,724 all-time among boys
First recorded
1945
in Social Security records

Sami popularity over time

6,727 babies have been named Sami since 1945, 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
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 15 – 15 2 – –
1950s 42 21 63 6 +320% #2,801
1960s 152 88 240 24 +281% #2,233
1970s 209 193 402 40 +68% #1,741
1980s 194 446 640 64 +59% #1,255
1990s 223 880 1,103 110 +72% #1,153
2000s 233 1,307 1,540 154 +40% #1,122
2010s 205 1,475 1,680 168 +9% #1,113
2020s (to 2025) 151 893 1,044 174 +4% #1,114

Where Sami 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 200 0.12 outside top 500
2027 205 0.12 outside top 500
2028 210 0.12 outside top 500
2029 215 0.13 outside top 500
2030 218 0.13 outside top 500

Where Sami is most popular

Boys named Sami per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.088 per 1,000. Strongest in Massachusetts, Virginia, and Illinois.

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 Sami 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
Massachusetts 34 0.247 +182%
Virginia 46 0.242 +177%
Illinois 56 0.219 +150%
Michigan 42 0.205 +134%
New York 78 0.180 +106%
New Jersey 35 0.174 +99%
Ohio 31 0.117 +34%
California 90 0.098 +12%
Florida 46 0.097 +11%
Texas 64 0.073 -17%
Pennsylvania 17 0.064 -27%
North Carolina 16 0.063 -28%
Maryland 6 0.050 -43%
Washington 5 0.031 -65%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
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 Sami

Sami is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,114 in 2025 with 193 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1945, 6,727 American babies have been named Sami, about 79% boys and 21% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2025, when 220 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 Sami stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Sami?

The median living Sami is about 19 years old; half are between 9 and 32. An estimated 6,600 people named Sami are alive in the United States today.

median 19 020406080100

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

Sami 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 27 #4,969 193 #1,114
2024 21 #5,929 156 #1,269
2023 27 #4,976 147 #1,308
2022 32 #4,453 123 #1,476
2021 16 #7,205 137 #1,356
2020 28 #4,735 137 #1,319
2019 17 #6,968 122 #1,440
2018 26 #5,126 160 #1,192
2017 16 #7,380 174 #1,113
2016 23 #5,768 164 #1,165
2015 16 #7,549 168 #1,133
2014 21 #6,174 148 #1,235
2013 21 #6,214 134 #1,294
2012 25 #5,533 124 #1,366
2011 14 #8,550 144 #1,218
2010 26 #5,384 137 #1,277
2009 24 #5,857 140 #1,264
2008 22 #6,317 155 #1,167
2007 26 #5,499 139 #1,269
2006 22 #6,093 135 #1,247
2005 39 #3,794 132 #1,208
2004 23 #5,518 139 #1,139
2003 23 #5,379 123 #1,203
2002 16 #6,981 124 #1,152
2001 18 #6,260 126 #1,122
2000 20 #5,658 94 #1,359
1995 22 #4,649 75 #1,367
1990 18 #5,235 71 #1,325
1985 15 #5,033 46 #1,477
1980 11 #6,232 23 #2,274
1975 18 #3,738 20 #2,272
1970 19 #3,408 15 #2,492
1965 17 #3,133 11 #2,596
1960 10 #4,405 – –
1955 – – 5 #4,311
1950 – – – –
1945 5 #5,137 – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Sami

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Sami Zayn Sami Zayn Canadian professional wrestler (born 1984) Contemporary
  2. 2 Sami Khedira Sami Khedira German footballer (born 1987) Contemporary
  3. 3 Sami Hyypiä Sami Hyypiä Finnish football manager (born 1973) Contemporary
  4. 4 Sami Yusuf Sami Yusuf Iranian-British musician (born 1980) Contemporary
  5. 5 Sami Frey French actor (born 1937) Contemporary
  6. 6 Sami Al-Jaber Sami Al-Jaber Saudi Arabian footballer (born 1972) Contemporary
  7. 7 Sami Bouajila Sami Bouajila Tunisian-French actor (born 1966) Contemporary
  8. 8 Sami Trabelsi Tunisian association football player b. 1968 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Sami Frashëri Sami Frashëri Albanian writer, philosopher, playwright and activist (1850–1904) 19th century
  10. 10 Sami Salo Sami Salo Finnish ice hockey player (born 1974) Contemporary
  11. 11 Sami Lepistö Sami Lepistö Finnish ice hockey player (born 1984) Contemporary
  12. 12 Sami Jauhojärvi Sami Jauhojärvi Finnish cross-country skier b. 1981 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Sami?

The median living Sami is about 19 years old. Half of all living Samis are between 9 and 32 years old.

How many people named Sami are alive today?

An estimated 6,600 people named Sami are alive in the United States, based on 6,727 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Sami mean?

From Northern Sami Sápmi, from one of the Sami languages, of uncertain origin/meaning, but possibly related to Proto-Balto-Slavic *źémijāˀ (“land”).

How popular is the name Sami in 2025?

Sami ranked #1,114 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 193 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Sami?

6,727 babies have been named Sami in the United States since 1945, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Sami most popular?

Sami peaked in 2025, when 220 newborns received the name.

Is Sami a boy or girl name?

Sami is used for both: about 21% of babies named Sami have been girls and 79% boys.

Is the name Sami rising or falling?

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

Will Sami become more popular?

Sami is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 218 boys named Sami in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Sami?

Well-known people named Sami include Sami Zayn (wrestler), Sami Khedira (soccer player), Sami Hyypiä (soccer player).

Names like Sami

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

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