boys' name ★ peaked 2025

Samson

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #477 Trend ↑ Rising 21%

From Middle English Sampson, Sampsoun, Samson, from Latin Samson, from Ancient Greek Σαμψών (Sampsṓn), from Hebrew שִׁמְשׁוֹן.

Rank 2025
#477
among boys · ↑45 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
639
named Samson · +9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,673
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
639 babies
All-time total
12,879
#1,052 all-time among boys
First recorded
1892
in Social Security records

Samson popularity over time

12,879 babies have been named Samson since 1892, 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
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2025Boys

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 Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s 19 2 – #852
1900s 18 2 -5% #1,045
1910s 135 14 +650% #1,479
1920s 169 17 +25% #1,527
1930s 138 14 -18% #1,785
1940s 145 15 +5% #1,676
1950s 243 24 +68% #1,413
1960s 255 26 +5% #1,422
1970s 530 53 +108% #987
1980s 937 94 +77% #831
1990s 1,273 127 +36% #920
2000s 1,915 192 +50% #878
2010s 3,902 390 +104% #546
2020s (to 2025) 3,200 533 +37% #477

Where Samson 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 661 0.39 #468
2027 680 0.40 #459
2028 696 0.41 #451
2029 710 0.42 #444
2030 723 0.42 #438

Where Samson is most popular

Boys named Samson per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.313 per 1,000. Strongest in Hawaii, Kansas, and Kentucky.

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 Samson 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
Hawaii 27 1.74 +455%
Kansas 45 0.656 +109%
Kentucky 59 0.588 +88%
Oklahoma 51 0.577 +84%
Tennessee 101 0.560 +79%
Alabama 61 0.558 +78%
Utah 53 0.555 +77%
Idaho 21 0.513 +64%
Arkansas 32 0.506 +61%
Washington 75 0.458 +46%
Colorado 57 0.442 +41%
Nebraska 19 0.437 +40%
Oregon 33 0.435 +39%
North Carolina 111 0.435 +39%
Indiana 66 0.412 +31%
Missouri 57 0.411 +31%
South Carolina 42 0.406 +30%
Louisiana 41 0.401 +28%
Ohio 105 0.396 +27%
Michigan 80 0.391 +25%
Georgia 97 0.383 +22%
South Dakota 7 0.376 +20%
Wisconsin 44 0.371 +19%
Virginia 70 0.369 +18%
Iowa 25 0.363 +16%
Arizona 55 0.336 +7%
Texas 277 0.314 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 83 0.313 ≈ national
Maryland 37 0.310 ≈ national
Minnesota 38 0.310 ≈ national
Florida 145 0.306 ≈ national
Massachusetts 41 0.298 -5%
New York 125 0.289 -8%
Montana 5 0.284 -9%
California 239 0.261 -17%
Nevada 13 0.228 -27%
Illinois 52 0.203 -35%
West Virginia 5 0.153 -51%
New Mexico 5 0.152 -52%
New Jersey 23 0.114 -64%
Mississippi 5 0.088 -72%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Maine – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Samson

Samson is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #477 in 2025 with 639 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1892, 12,879 American babies have been named Samson. Its peak came in 2025, when 639 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 Samson stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Samson?

The median living Samson is about 12 years old; half are between 5 and 26. An estimated 12 thousand people named Samson 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.

Samson year by year

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

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 639 #477
2024 585 #522
2023 517 #565
2022 491 #585
2021 473 #590
2020 495 #566
2019 488 #573
2018 512 #546
2017 440 #602
2016 481 #577
2015 434 #619
2014 420 #627
2013 360 #671
2012 280 #802
2011 243 #868
2010 244 #863
2009 241 #878
2008 214 #945
2007 225 #894
2006 220 #892
2005 151 #1,099
2004 176 #956
2003 158 #1,005
2002 183 #890
2001 173 #907
2000 174 #897
1995 122 #1,009
1990 126 #920
1985 109 #873
1980 87 #965
1975 40 #1,404
1970 34 #1,458
1965 21 #1,769
1960 20 #1,850
1955 23 #1,639
1950 25 #1,493
1945 15 #1,843
1940 16 #1,791
1935 16 #1,824
1930 18 #1,809
1925 25 #1,527
1920 19 #1,875
1915 12 #2,281
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 6 #1,283
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Samson

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

  1. 1 Samson Samson Important character from the Book of Judges of the Hebrew Bible b. -1118 · Antiquity
  2. 2 Samson Raphael Hirsch Samson Raphael Hirsch 19th century German Jewish theologian 1808–1888 · 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Samson?

The median living Samson is about 12 years old. Half of all living Samsons are between 5 and 26 years old.

How many people named Samson are alive today?

An estimated 12 thousand people named Samson are alive in the United States, based on 12,879 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Samson mean?

From Middle English Sampson, Sampsoun, Samson, from Latin Samson, from Ancient Greek Σαμψών (Sampsṓn), from Hebrew שִׁמְשׁוֹן.

How popular is the name Samson in 2025?

Samson ranked #477 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 639 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Samson?

12,879 babies have been named Samson in the United States since 1892, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Samson most popular?

Samson peaked in 2025, when 639 newborns received the name.

Is Samson a boy or girl name?

Samson is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Samson rising or falling?

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

Will Samson become more popular?

Samson is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 723 boys named Samson in 2030, which would rank around #438. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Samson?

Well-known people named Samson include Samson (religious figure), Samson Raphael Hirsch (writer).

Names like Samson

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

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