How to say it
sa · MAN · tha
/səˈmæn.θə/
Feminine
Samantha
Heard by God
What it means
Possibly a feminine of Samuel (Hebrew 'heard by God'), though the etymology is contested — some scholars trace it to a 17th-century English coinage. Bewitched's Samantha Stephens (1964-1972) defined the name for a generation.
Samantha's etymology is contested. The most common reading is as a feminine form of Samuel (Hebrew Shemuʾel, 'heard by God' or 'name of God') with the feminine ending -antha (echoing the Greek anthos, 'flower'). An alternate reading traces the name to an unrelated 17th-century English coinage. It was particularly popular in the American South. The witch sitcom Bewitched (Elizabeth Montgomery's Samantha Stephens, 1964-1972) gave the name decisive English-language anchor. Sex and the City's Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall, 1998-2004) gave it a second life. It peaked in the US in 1990 and is sliding gently. Sam is the universal short.
Popularity over time
peaked at #3 in 1998, currently #151 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Sam is the universal short and a standalone name; Sammy is the childhood form.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Samantha Stephens Elizabeth Montgomery's nose-twitching witch in Bewitched, 1964-1972
- Samantha Jones Kim Cattrall's character in Sex and the City
Spelling variants
- Samanta
Names with the same feeling
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