Samej
A unique blend of the masculine name Samuel and feminine Jemima.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Samej. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Samej today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Samej births was 2003 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Samej. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Samej. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2003
5 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2003 SSA rank
#12,420
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Samej: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Samej 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 Samej during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Samej
The name Samej is of ancient Aramaic origin, traced back to the 6th century BC in the region of Mesopotamia. It is derived from the Aramaic word "shamayya," which means "sky" or "heaven." The name was initially used to refer to individuals who were deeply spiritual or had a profound connection with the celestial realm.
In the early days of Christianity, the name Samej appeared in several religious texts and manuscripts, often associated with pious individuals or those who dedicated their lives to spreading the faith. One notable example is Samej of Edessa, a 7th-century Aramaic scholar and theologian renowned for his translations of Greek philosophical and theological works into Syriac.
During the medieval period, the name Samej gained popularity among Arabic-speaking communities, particularly in regions of the Middle East and North Africa. It was often bestowed upon individuals with a strong interest in astronomy or those who pursued scholarly pursuits related to the study of the heavens.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Samej dates back to the 9th century, when Samej ibn Yahya al-Ghazzal, a renowned Arabic astronomer and mathematician, made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and the development of astronomical instruments.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Samej:
1. Samej al-Mawsili (740-833), a renowned Arab musician and theorist who is credited with developing the system of Arabic musical notation.
2. Samej al-Maqdisi (945-991), a Palestinian Muslim scholar and traveler who wrote extensively about his journeys across the Islamic world.
3. Samej al-Jurjani (1009-1078), a Persian philosopher and logician known for his work on the theory of definition and his contributions to the field of linguistics.
4. Samej al-Hafri (1135-1180), an Andalusian poet and scholar who was renowned for his mastery of Arabic literature and his poetic compositions.
5. Samej al-Din al-Isfahani (1233-1310), a Persian mathematician and astronomer who made significant advancements in the field of trigonometry and spherical geometry.
While the name Samej has its roots in ancient Aramaic and Arabic cultures, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with variations in spelling and pronunciation. However, its association with the celestial realm and scholarly pursuits has remained a consistent theme throughout its historical journey.
People
Samej + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Samej 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
Samej: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Samej?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Samej 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Samej a common name?
We classify Samej as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Samej most popular?
The single biggest year for Samej was 2003, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Samej is about 23 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 Samej in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Samej a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Samej in the SSA data are male. 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 Samej still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Samej 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 Samej 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 have Samej as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.