Boy · Hebrew
Samson
Say it: SAM-sun
Meaning
Hebrew Shimshon, from shemesh 'sun'.
Likelythe main view, with some doubt.
Spread in medieval Britain and Brittany through Saint Samson of Dol.
Its wave through time
Popular now
In the United States
- 10,153 babies given this name since 1892
- At its height in 2020, about 1 in 3,500 boys
- 485 babies in 2020
Through the ages
- The Biblical WorldAbout 1200 BC to AD 100
- The Early Middle Ages400 to 800
- The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
- The Colonial Americas1500 to 1800
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Sampson
| French | Samson |
|---|---|
| Spanish | Sansón |
| Italian | Sansone |
| Portuguese | Sansão |
| German | Simson |
| Polish | Samson |
| Hebrew | Shimshon |
Famous bearers
- Samson, strongman judge of Israel
- Saint Samson of Dol, 6th-century Welsh bishop in Brittany
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- The Hebrew Bible and the New Testament
- Lives of the saints and early Christian martyrologies
- English poll taxes and lay subsidy rolls (13th and 14th centuries)
- 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.