← Back to The Renaissance
Boy · Hebrew, through English
Sammy Say it: SAM-ee
Try it with your surname Copy link
Meaning A pet form of Samuel, from Hebrew Shemu'el, usually read as 'name of God' or 'God has heard'.
Likely the main view, with some doubt.
Used as a full name in the US throughout the 20th century.
Its wave through time A fashion of the 1940s
In the United States 0 20 40 60 80 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020 Peak 1946 per 100,000 babies of that sex 44,478 babies given this name since 1896 At its height in 1946, about 1 in 1,400 boys 114 babies in 2020 The family of the name Other spellings: Sammie
Famous bearers Sammy Davis Jr., American entertainer Names worth a look Beau Boy From French beau 'handsome, beautiful'. Modern · peak 2020 Greyson Boy A spelling of Grayson, from an English surname meaning 'son of the steward' (Middle English greyve), not from 'grey'. Modern · peak 2017 Jude Boy Greek Ioudas, from Hebrew Yehudah (Judah), linked to 'praise'. Biblical · peak 2019 Ora Girl or boy Uncertain. A 19th-century American name of unclear origin, sometimes linked to Latin orare 'to pray'; the Hebrew… Victorian · peak 1886 · forgotten Kaiden Boy A spelling of Caden, a modern American coinage rhyming with Aidan; it has no established older meaning. Modern · peak 2014 Leigh Girl or boy From an English surname for someone living by a clearing, Old English lēah 'wood, clearing'. Modern · peak 1969 Samuel Boy Hebrew Shmu'el. Usually read as 'name of God' or 'God has heard'; 1 Samuel 1:20 links it to asking and hearing, and… Biblical · peak 1880 Samantha Girl Probably an 18th-century American coinage combining Samuel with the ending -antha. The claim that it means… Revolutions · peak 1991 Where this comes from United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.