Samaa
A feminine Arabic name meaning "lofty" or "exalted".
Name Census estimates that about 167 living Americans carry the first name Samaa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Samaa today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Samaa births was 2015 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Samaa. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
167
~ 1 in 2,052,421 Americans
Peak year
2015
13 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,314
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Samaa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Samaa from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 86 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Samaa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Samaa by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Samaa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Samaa
The name Samaa is of Arabic origin and is believed to have its roots in the word "sama," which means "sky" or "heaven" in Arabic. This name has been in use for centuries and has a rich cultural and historical significance.
The name Samaa is particularly popular in the Middle East and North Africa, where Arabic is widely spoken. It is often associated with beauty, grace, and purity, as the sky is seen as a symbol of the divine and the infinite.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Samaa can be found in ancient Arabic literature and poetry, where it was used to describe the celestial beauty of the night sky. The name also appears in some Islamic texts and scriptures, further solidifying its connection to the Arabic language and culture.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Samaa. One such person was Samaa al-Ghazali (c. 1058-1111), a renowned Sufi mystic and scholar from Persia (modern-day Iran). She was known for her profound spiritual teachings and her contributions to the development of Sufism.
Another famous Samaa was Samaa Raazi (c. 865-925), a Persian physician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of medicine and wrote several influential works on philosophy and ethics.
In the modern era, the name Samaa has been carried by several influential women, including Samaa Basmil (born 1986), a Yemeni activist and human rights advocate who has been recognized for her efforts to promote women's rights and democracy in Yemen.
Samaa Shibli (born 1988) is a Palestinian-American author and poet whose works explore themes of identity, displacement, and the experiences of the Palestinian diaspora. Her poetry collections have received critical acclaim and have been translated into multiple languages.
Samaa Elouardighi (born 1994) is a Moroccan professional tennis player who has represented her country in various international tournaments and has achieved notable rankings in both singles and doubles competitions.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Samaa throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human achievement and cultural diversity.
People
Samaa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Samaa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Samaa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Samaa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 167 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Samaa going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,052,421 US residents.
Is Samaa a common name?
We classify Samaa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 169 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Samaa most popular?
The single biggest year for Samaa was 2015, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Samaa is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Samaa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Samaa in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.