Samanta
A feminine name derived from Sanskrit meaning "level" or "calm-minded".
Name Census estimates that about 1,800 living Americans carry the first name Samanta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Samanta today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Samanta births was 2005 (98 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Samanta. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Samanta with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.8K
~ 1 in 190,419 Americans
Peak year
2005
98 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,834
Tracked since 1972
Census
Samanta in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,666 people with the first name Samanta, which placed it at #6,113 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#6,113
National first-name rank
People counted
2.7K
2,666 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.9
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
67.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Samanta
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Samanta is Hispanic at 67.3%. The next largest groups are White (20.2%) and Black (6.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Samanta described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Samanta at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino67.3% · 1,794
- White20.2% · 539
- Black or African American6.3% · 168
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 119
- Two or more races1.3% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
Popularity
Samanta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Samanta from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 816 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Samanta 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 Samanta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Samantas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Samanta, while Nevada, Georgia, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 104 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Samanta
The name Samanta has its origins in the Sanskrit language and is derived from the word "samanta," which means "all-around" or "on all sides." This name is believed to have originated in ancient India, where it was commonly used as a title or epithet for kings and rulers who held sway over vast territories.
In Hindu mythology, the name Samanta is associated with the concept of completeness and wholeness. It is said that the sage Samanta, who was renowned for his wisdom and spiritual teachings, was the first to bear this name. His teachings emphasized the importance of embracing all aspects of life and achieving a harmonious balance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Samanta can be found in the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. In this epic, Samanta is mentioned as the name of a king who ruled over a prosperous kingdom. The Mahabharata is believed to have been composed between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE, providing a glimpse into the antiquity of this name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Samanta. One of the most famous was Samanta Chandra (1835-1904), a Bengali philosopher and social reformer who played a pivotal role in the Bengal Renaissance. He was a staunch advocate for women's education and worked tirelessly to promote social and cultural progress in Bengal.
Another prominent figure was Samanta Singhar (1809-1899), a influential Rajput ruler who governed the princely state of Jaisalmer in present-day Rajasthan, India. He was known for his progressive policies and efforts to modernize his kingdom, including the construction of several notable architectural landmarks.
In the realm of literature, Samanta Devi (1858-1923) was a renowned Bengali writer and poet who made significant contributions to the literary landscape of her time. Her works often explored themes of social injustice and the emancipation of women, making her a pioneering voice in the feminist movement of Bengal.
The name Samanta also has historical connections to Buddhism. Samanta Bhadra was a prominent Buddhist monk and scholar who lived in the 8th century CE. He was known for his extensive knowledge of Buddhist philosophy and his influential commentary on the Avatamsaka Sutra, a sacred text in Mahayana Buddhism.
Lastly, Samanta Singh (1776-1839) was a celebrated Maratha warrior and military leader who played a crucial role in the struggles against the British East India Company during the early 19th century. His bravery and strategic acumen earned him a place in the annals of Indian history as a formidable opponent of colonial rule.
People
Samanta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Samanta 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
Samanta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Samanta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,800 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Samanta 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 190,419 US residents.
Is Samanta a common name?
We classify Samanta as "Rare". It ranks above 93.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,840 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Samanta most popular?
The single biggest year for Samanta was 2005, when 98 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Samanta is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Samanta in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,666 people with the name Samanta, or 0.88 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #6,113 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Samanta in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Samanta?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Samanta appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,674 people counted with this name, 99.3% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Samanta?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Samanta is Hispanic at 67.3%. The next largest groups are White (20.2%) and Black (6.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Samanta most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Samanta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.3% (1,794 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Samanta in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Samanta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Samanta 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.
Is Samanta still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Samanta in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Samanta can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people share the name Samanta?
You can see how many people have the name Samanta on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.