Samson
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "sun", "sun child" or "brilliant".
Name Census estimates that about 11,443 living Americans carry the first name Samson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Samson today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Samson births was 2024 (582 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Samson. 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
11K
~ 1 in 29,953 Americans
Peak year
2024
582 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#522
Tracked since 1892
Popularity
Samson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Samson from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 3,901 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Samson remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Samson 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 Samson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Samsons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 43 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Samson, while New Mexico, District of Columbia, South Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 199 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Samson
The name Samson has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture. It is derived from the Hebrew word "shemesh," meaning "sun." The name was likely given to children born during sunny or summer months in ancient Hebrew communities.
Samson is perhaps most famously associated with the biblical figure Samson, a judge of the ancient Israelites known for his immense strength and heroic feats. The story of Samson appears in the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible, where he is portrayed as a warrior blessed with supernatural power by God.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Samson dates back to the 11th century BC, when it was borne by the biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Judges. In the centuries that followed, the name remained relatively uncommon in the ancient world.
The name gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly among Jewish communities and in some Christian circles influenced by the biblical narrative. Samson was revered as a symbol of strength and courage in medieval Europe.
Notable historical figures named Samson include Samson of Tottington, a 12th-century English nobleman and crusader who participated in the Third Crusade. Another prominent bearer of the name was Samson of Cambridge, a 12th-century English philosopher and scholar who taught at the University of Cambridge.
In the 16th century, Samson Gossen, a French Protestant reformer and theologian, made significant contributions to the Reformation movement in France. He was born in 1520 and died in 1574.
During the Renaissance, the Italian painter and architect Samson Santi, also known as Raphael, was a renowned figure in the world of art. He was born in 1483 and died in 1520, leaving behind a remarkable body of work that influenced generations of artists.
In the 19th century, Samson Raphael Hirsch, a German rabbi and scholar, played a crucial role in the development of the Torah im Derech Eretz movement, which sought to reconcile traditional Jewish observance with modern secular education. He was born in 1808 and died in 1888.
People
Samson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Samson 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
Samson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Samson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11,443 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Samson 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 29,953 US residents.
Is Samson a common name?
We classify Samson as "Uncommon". It ranks above 97.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12,235 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Samson most popular?
The single biggest year for Samson was 2024, when 582 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Samson is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Samson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Samson 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.
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.