Sam
Pronounced S AE1 M (ARPABET)
- 1 syllable
- Peaked 1918
- 145 years in use
- 1 spelling
How popular is Sam?
Sam is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 128,374 children — the 268th most common boys' name on record.
Its use has been broadly flat across the past two decades. Its best single year was 1918, when 2,505 children were given it.
Sahm is counted with it here, since the two are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Sam and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Sahm
Nicknames
Sam is itself a short form of Samuel.
Characteristics
- 1 syllable
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- S AE1 M
- Stress pattern:
- 1
- Syllables:
- 1
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Sam
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Sam
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Sam?
- Sam ranks 268th among boys' names in US records, with 128,374 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 4,487.
- Is Sam a unisex name?
- No. Sam is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Sam most popular?
- 1918, when 2,505 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- How else is Sam spelled?
- Sahm. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.