Samanthan
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "listener" or "heard by God".
Name Census estimates that about 107 living Americans carry the first name Samanthan. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Samanthan today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Samanthan births was 1987 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Samanthan. 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
107
~ 1 in 3,203,312 Americans
Peak year
1987
22 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
1992 SSA rank
#15,060
Tracked since 1982
Popularity
Samanthan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Samanthan from the 1980s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 93 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Samanthan 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 Samanthan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Samanthans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Samanthan
The name Samanthan is of Sanskrit origin, derived from the word "samanta," meaning "level" or "even." It is believed to have first emerged as a personal name during the ancient Vedic period in India, around the mid-2nd millennium BCE.
In Hindu mythology, Samanta is one of the names associated with the goddess Lakshmi, representing prosperity, wealth, and fertility. The name is also found in ancient Sanskrit texts, such as the Rigveda, which dates back to the 2nd millennium BCE.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Samanthan was a philosopher and scholar who lived in the 6th century BCE. He was known for his contributions to the development of the Sankhya school of Hindu philosophy.
During the Mauryan Empire (322-185 BCE), there was a notable figure named Samanthan, who served as a court minister under the reign of King Ashoka. He is credited with helping to spread Buddhism throughout the Indian subcontinent.
In the 7th century CE, a Sanskrit poet and playwright named Samanthan gained recognition for his works, including the play "Ratnavali," which explored themes of love, loyalty, and social norms.
Another notable individual with the name Samanthan was a 12th-century Indian mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and is known for his work on the calculation of planetary positions.
During the 16th century, a Sufi mystic and poet named Samanthan rose to prominence in the Deccan region of India. His spiritual verses and teachings influenced the development of Sufi literature and philosophy in the region.
While the name Samanthan has its roots in ancient India, it has also been adopted and used in other cultures and regions over time, with various spellings and pronunciations.
People
Samanthan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Samanthan 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
Samanthan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Samanthan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 107 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Samanthan 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 3,203,312 US residents.
Is Samanthan a common name?
We classify Samanthan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 113 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Samanthan most popular?
The single biggest year for Samanthan was 1987, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Samanthan is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Samanthan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Samanthan a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Samanthan 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 Samanthan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Samanthan 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 Samanthan 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Samanthan?
Want to know how many people have the name Samanthan? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.