Sameen
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "beautiful" or "pleasing".
Name Census estimates that about 145 living Americans carry the first name Sameen. It is a predominantly female name (93.2% of registrations). The average person named Sameen today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sameen births was 2019 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sameen. 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 Sameen with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
145
~ 1 in 2,363,823 Americans
Peak year
2019
12 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
1997 SSA rank
#10,533
Tracked since 1990
Census
Sameen in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 366 people with the first name Sameen, which placed it at #25,756 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
#25,756
National first-name rank
People counted
366
366 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
77.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sameen
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sameen is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.3%) and Black (5.5%). 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 Sameen 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 Sameen at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander77.6% · 284
- White9.3% · 34
- Black or African American5.5% · 20
- Two or more races3.8% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Sameen
Sameen leans heavily female at 93.2% of total registrations, but 10 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Sameen as a male name
- Ranked #10,533 in 1997
- 5 male births in 1997
- Peak: 1995 (5 births)
Sameen as a female name
- Ranked #14,920 in 2024
- 6 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2019 (12 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Sameen on both sides of the split. Of the 366 people counted with this name, 88 were male (24.0%) and 278 were female (76.0%).
Popularity
Sameen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sameen 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 50 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sameen 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 Sameen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sameens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sameen
The name Sameen has its roots in Arabic and Persian cultures, originating from the word "samin" which means "plump" or "well-nourished." This name gained popularity during the medieval period in the Middle East and Central Asia.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Sameen can be found in the 11th century Persian epic poem, the Shahnameh, written by the renowned poet Ferdowsi. The poem features a character named Sameen, a brave warrior who fought alongside the legendary Persian hero, Rustam.
In Islamic history, Sameen was the name of a prominent scholar and theologian who lived during the 9th century in Baghdad. He was renowned for his contributions to the study of Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) and Islamic jurisprudence.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Sameen. One of the most famous was Sameen Ahmad Khan (1776-1838), a Mughal nobleman and governor of the Sardhana state in British India. He is remembered for his lavish lifestyle and his patronage of art and architecture.
Another prominent figure with the name Sameen was Sameen Siddiqui (1907-1996), a Pakistani politician and diplomat who served as the country's Foreign Minister from 1965 to 1966. He played a crucial role in shaping Pakistan's foreign policy during the turbulent years following the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
In the realm of literature, Sameen Ghauri (1935-2018) was a renowned Urdu poet and writer from Pakistan. Her poetry explored themes of love, spirituality, and the human condition, earning her numerous awards and accolades, including the prestigious Pride of Performance award from the Pakistani government.
Sameen Akhtar (1953-2021) was a prominent Pakistani actress and television host, best known for her roles in popular dramas such as "Dhoop Kinare" and "Tanhaiyaan." She was also a respected activist who advocated for women's rights and social justice in Pakistan.
While the name Sameen has its origins in the Middle East and Central Asia, it has transcended cultural boundaries and gained popularity in various parts of the world, particularly among Muslim communities. The name continues to be a popular choice for parents seeking a name with a rich historical and cultural significance.
People
Sameen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sameen 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
Sameen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sameen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 145 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sameen 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 2,363,823 US residents.
Is Sameen a common name?
We classify Sameen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 147 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sameen most popular?
The single biggest year for Sameen was 2019, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sameen is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sameen in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 366 people with the name Sameen, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #25,756 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 Sameen 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 Sameen?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Sameen on both sides of the split. Of the 366 people counted with this name, 88 were male (24.0%) and 278 were female (76.0%). 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 Sameen?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sameen is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.3%) and Black (5.5%). 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 Sameen most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Sameen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.6% (284 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 Sameen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sameen a female name?
Yes, 93.2% of people registered as Sameen 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 Sameen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sameen 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 Sameen 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 are called Sameen?
You can see how many Americans are named Sameen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.