Samantha

Samantha is a feminine given name.

Origins
The name was recorded in the 18th century in New England, but its etymology is uncertain. Speculation (without evidence) has suggested an origin from the masculine given name Samuel and anthos, the Greek word for "flower". One theory is that it was a feminine form of Samuel to which the already existing feminine name Anthea was added.

Popularity
"Samantha" remained a rare name until the 1873 publication of the first novel in a series by Marietta Holley, featuring the adventures of a woman named "Samantha," wife of Josiah Allen. The series led to the rise in the name's popularity, ranking among the top 1,000 names for girls in the United States from 1880, the earliest year for which records are available, to 1902.

The name was out of fashion in the United States for the majority of the first half of the 20th century but reappeared among the top 1,000 names for girls in 1958, when it ranked in 998th position, and in 1959, when it ranked in 993rd place. Those rankings followed the release of the 1956 film High Society, in which Grace Kelly played a character with the middle name Samantha. The movie introduced a song titled "I Love You, Samantha" by the famed composer Cole Porter.

After 1959 the name fell off the top 1,000 list again until 1964, when it reappeared in 472nd place and leapt another 293 places to 179th place in 1965, coinciding with the 1964 debut of the popular television show Bewitched, featuring as a lead character a young witch named "Samantha Stephens."

The name has remained consistently popular in the United States since the 1960s. It has ranked among the top 200 names for girls since 1965 and among the top 100 names for girls since 1976. It was among the ten most popular names for American girls born between 1988 and 2006 and was among the top 100 names for American girls until 2020. It was the 106th most popular name for American girls born in both 2021 and 2022. It has also been well-used in other English-speaking countries and in Mexico.

In Sri Lanka, Samantha is used as a masculine given name, being one of the forms of the name of the god Saman. This usage has no known connection with the feminine version.

Transliterations

 * Arabic: سمانثا (Samantha)
 * Albanian: Samanthë, Samantë
 * Armenian: Սամանթա (Samant'a), Սամանտա (Samanta)
 * Belarusian: Саманта (Samanta)
 * Bulgarian: Саманта (Samanta)
 * Chinese Simplified: 萨曼莎 (Sàmànshā)
 * Chinese Traditional: 薩曼莎 (Sàmànshā)
 * Dutch: Samantha
 * English: Samantha (Samantha)
 * Esperanto: Samanta
 * French: Samantha
 * German: Samantha
 * Greek: Σαμάνθα
 * Gujarati: સમન્તા (Samantā)
 * Hebrew: סמנתה
 * Hindi: सामन्था (Sāmanthā)
 * Hungarian: Szamanta
 * Italian: Samanta
 * Indonesian: Samantha
 * Japanese: サマンサ (Samansa)
 * Kannada: ಸಮಂತಾ (Samantā)
 * Khmer: សុមន្ថា (Somontha)
 * Korean: 사만다 (Samanda)
 * Latvian: Samanta
 * Mongolian: Саманта (Samanta)
 * Marathi: समंथा/𑘭𑘦𑘽𑘞𑘰 (Samanthā)
 * Polish: Samanta
 * Persian: سامانتا (Samanta)
 * Portuguese: Samanta
 * Russian: Саманта (Samanta)
 * Serbian: Саманта (Samanta)
 * Spanish: Samanta
 * Swahili: Samandha
 * Tamil: சமாந்தா (Samantha)
 * Telugu: సమంతా (Samantā)
 * Thai: ซาแมนต้า (Sāmænt̂ā)
 * Ukrainian: Саманта (Samanta)
 * Urdu: سامنتھا (Samantha)
 * Yiddish: סאַמאַנטהאַ (Sʼamʼanthʼa)\

Female

 * Samantha Agazuma (born 1994), Nigerian cricketer
 * Samantha Akinyi (born 1995), Kenyan soccer player
 * Samantha Albert (born 1971), Canadian–born Jamaican equestrian
 * Samantha Leigh Allen, American journalist and author
 * Samantha Andreas, environmental chemist and occupational health and safety expert in the mining industry of Papua New Guinea
 * Samantha Arellano (born 1995), Mexican soccer player
 * Samantha Arévalo (born 1994), Ecuadorian swimmer
 * Samantha Armytage (born 1976), Australian journalist and television news reporter
 * Samantha Arsenault (born 1981), American swimmer
 * Samantha Azzopardi (born 1988), Australian con artist
 * Samantha Baines (born 1987), English actress, author, and comedian
 * Samantha Barks (born 1990), actress and stage singer who participated as Eponine in LesMis and Elsa in the Frozen musical
 * Samantha Barning (born 1989), Dutch badminton player
 * Samantha Beckinsale (born 1966), English actress
 * Samantha Bee (born 1969), Canadian actress and comedian
 * Samantha Bentley (born 1987), English pornographic actress
 * Samantha Bernardo (born 1992), Filipino beauty queen and television personality
 * Samantha Bond (born 1961), English actress
 * Samantha Boscarino (born 1994), American actress
 * Samantha Bricio (born 1994), Mexican volleyball player
 * Samantha Brown (born 1970), American television presenter
 * Samantha Browne-Walters (born 1991), American actress
 * Samantha A. Brugmann, American developmental biologist
 * Samantha Bumgarner (1878–1960), American musician
 * Samantha Cameron (born 1971), English business executive
 * Samantha Casella (born 1981), Italian actress, director, and screenwriter
 * Samantha Cesario (born 1993), American figure skater
 * Samantha Chapman (born 1977), English makeup artist
 * Samantha Cogan (born 1997), Canadian ice hockey player
 * Samantha Cole (born 1978), American singer and songwriter
 * Samantha Colley (born 1989), English actress
 * Samantha Knox Condit (1837-1912), American teacher and Presbyterian missionary
 * Samantha Cools (born 1986), Canadian BMX racer
 * Samantha Cornish (born 1980), Australian surfer
 * Samantha Crain (born 1986), Choctaw Nation singer and songwriter
 * Samantha Crawford (born 1995), American tennis player
 * Samantha Cristoforetti (born 1977), Italian astronaut
 * Samantha Daniels, American professional matchmaker, television personality, television producer, author, and entrepreneur
 * Samantha Davies (born 1974), English yachtswoman
 * Samantha Davies (born 1979), British sprinter
 * Samantha De Reviziis (born 1985), Italian web influencer
 * Samantha Dixon, English politician
 * Samantha Dodd (born 1979), South African retired track and field athlete
 * Samantha Dirks (born 1992), Belizean sprinter
 * Samantha Dorman (born 1968), American model and actress
 * Samantha Dorrance (born 1992), English actress, dancer, and singer
 * Samantha Downie (born 1987), Australian model
 * Samantha Dubois (1955–1992), Dutch radio presenter
 * Samantha Economos (born 1994), Australian rugby league footballer
 * Samantha Edwards (born 1990), Antigua and Barbuda sprinter
 * Samantha Edwards, Indian singer and vocal coach
 * Samantha Eggar (born 1939), English actress
 * Samantha D. Elliott (born 1975), American federal judge
 * Samantha Ellis, British playwright and writer
 * Samantha Epasinghe (1967-2021), Sri Lankan actress
 * Samantha Ettus (born 1972), American entrepreneur, author, speaker, TV contributor and podcast host
 * Samantha Evans, Australian Pentecostal Christian worship leader and singer-songwriter
 * Samantha Everton, Australian photographic artist
 * Samantha Farquharson (born 1969), English athlete
 * Samantha Ferrari (born 1973), Italian rhythmic gymnast
 * Samantha Ferris (born 1968), Canadian actress and television reporter
 * Samantha Findlay (born 1986), American softball coach and player
 * Samantha Fish (born 1989), American singer and songwriter
 * Samantha Fisher (born 1995), Canadian curler
 * Samantha Fonti (born 1973), Australian film composer and classically trained violinist
 * Samantha Fox (born 1966), English model and singer
 * Samantha Fox, stage name of American pornographic film and B movie actress Stasia Micula (1959-2020)
 * Samantha Futerman (born 1987), South Korean–born American activist, actress, director, and writer
 * Samantha Gash (born 1984), Australian professional endurance athlete, social entrepreneur, and motivational speaker
 * Samantha Geimer (born 1963), American former model and victim in the Roman Polanski case
 * Samantha George, British academic
 * Samantha Giles (born 1971), English actress and author
 * Samantha Giles (born 1994), English golfer
 * Samantha Gillison (born 1967), Australian–born American writer
 * Samantha Gordon (born 2003), American football and soccer player
 * Samantha Gorman, American game developer
 * Samantha Graham (born 1969), South African politician
 * Samantha Greenberg, American founder, managing partner and chief investment officer (CIO) of Margate Capital Management
 * Samantha Grey (born 1995), Ecuadorian actress, television presenter, singer and dancer
 * Samantha Harris (born 1973), American television presenter, model, and entertainment reporter and actress
 * Samantha Harris (born 1990), Australian model
 * Samantha Harrison (born 1991), New Zealand field hockey player
 * Samantha Harvey (born 1993), English pop singer
 * Samantha Hayes (born 1984), South African–born New Zealand journalist
 * Samantha Heath (1960–2019), British politician
 * Samantha Hess (born 1983), American former professional cuddler and author
 * Samantha Hill, Canadian actress
 * Samantha Hill (born 1992), American water polo goalkeeper
 * Samantha Holland (born 1969), English actress
 * Samantha Holmes-Domagala (born 1977), Canadian former national women's ice hockey player
 * Samantha Hoopes (born 1991), American model
 * Samantha Hunt (born 1971), American novelist
 * Samantha Littlefield Huntley (1865-1949), American portrait artist
 * Samantha Inoue-Harte (born 1979), American voice artist
 * Samantha Irby (born 1980), American blogger, comedian, and author
 * Samantha Isler (born 1998), American actress
 * Samantha Jade (born 1987), Australian singer and songwriter
 * Samantha James (born 1979), American singer and songwriter
 * Samantha Katie James (born 1994), Brazilian-born Malaysian actress, model, and beauty pageant titleholder
 * Samantha John (born circa 1985-1986), American entrepreneur
 * Samantha Johnson (born 1991), American soccer defender
 * Samantha Jones, stage name of English former singer Jean Owen (born 1943)
 * Samantha Josephson (died 2019), American murder victim
 * Samantha Joye (born 1965), American oceanographer
 * Samantha Judge (born 1978), Scottish field hockey player
 * Samantha Juste (1944–2014), English model and television presenter
 * Samantha Katz (born 1985), American curator
 * Samantha Kelly (born 1997), Northern Irish soccer player
 * Samantha Kerkman (born 1974), American politician
 * Samantha Kerr (born 1993), Australian footballer
 * Samantha Kerr (born 1999), Scottish footballer
 * Samantha Kinghorn (born 1996), Scottish wheelchair racer
 * Samantha Ko (born 1987), Chinese born actress and model based in Hong Kong and 2008 Miss Hong Kong contestant
 * Samantha Kolowratová (born 1996), Czech ice hockey player
 * Samantha Lam (born 1963), Hong Kong singer and songwriter
 * Samantha Lane (born 1979), Australian television personality and sports reporter
 * Samantha Lang, English–born Australian director and screenwriter
 * Samantha Larson (born 1988), American mountain climber
 * Samantha Leigh Martin (born 1985), English child actress
 * Samantha Leriche-Gionet (born 1985), Canadian animator, illustrator, and comic strip author
 * Samantha Lewes (1952–2002), American actress
 * Samantha Lewthwaite (born 1983), Northern Irish terrorist
 * Samantha Libreri (born 1982), Irish journalist
 * Samantha Lobatto (born 1988), Indian cricketer
 * Samantha Logan (born 1996), American actress
 * Samantha Lowe (born 1982), English judoka
 * Samantha Maloney (born 1975), American musician
 * Samantha Markle (born 1964), American mental health counselor and memoirist and paternal half-sister of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
 * Samantha Marshall, Antiguan politician
 * Samantha Martin (born 1983), Canadian singer and songwriter
 * Samantha Massell (born 1990), American actress and singer
 * Samantha Mathis (born 1970), American actress
 * Samantha May (born 1987), Australian former netball player
 * Samantha McCarthy, English actress
 * Samantha McClymont (born 1986), Australian singer and songwriter
 * Samantha McGlone (born 1979), Canadian triathlete
 * Samantha McIntosh, New Zealand equestrian
 * Samantha Mills (born 1992), Australian diver
 * Samantha Monahan (born 1988), American soccer player
 * Samantha Moore (born 1988), Canadian singer and songwriter
 * Samantha Morton (born 1977), English actress
 * Samantha Mugatsia (born 1992), Kenyan actress
 * Samantha Mumba (born 1983), Irish singer and actress
 * Samantha Munro (born 1990), Canadian actress
 * Samantha Murphy (born 1997), American soccer player
 * Samantha Murray (born 1989), English modern pentathlete
 * Samantha Murray Sharan (born 1987), British tennis player
 * Samantha Navarro (born 1971), Uruguayan composer, guitarist, and singer
 * Samantha Nesbit (born 1982), English swimmer
 * Samantha Newark (born 1967), English–born American actress, musician, and singer
 * Samantha Nierras (born 1989), American–born Filipino soccer player
 * Samantha Noble (born 1984), Australian actress
 * Samantha Norwood (born 1989), Australian basketball player
 * Samantha Nugent (born 1977), American politician
 * Samantha Nutt (born 1969), Canadian philanthropist and physician
 * Samantha Page (born 1983), English newscaster
 * Samantha Pankey (born 1983), American rugby player
 * Samantha Paxinos (born 1988), Botswanan swimmer
 * Samantha Peszek (born 1991), American gymnast
 * Samantha Poling, Scottish investigative journalist
 * Samantha Ponder (born 1985), American sportscaster
 * Samantha Poolman (born 1991), Australian netball player
 * Samantha Power (born 1970), American diplomat and academic
 * Samantha Ruth Prabhu (born 1987), Indian actress
 * Samantha Prahalis (born 1990), American basketball player
 * Samantha Preston (born 1984), Canadian curler
 * Samantha Punch, English–Scottish professor
 * Samantha Purvis (born 1967), English swimmer
 * Samantha Quayle (born 1995), Welsh footballer
 * Samantha "Sam" Quek (born 1988), English television personality and former field hockey player
 * Samantha Ramautar (born 1987), Guyanese–American cricketer
 * Samantha Randle (born 1998), South African swimmer
 * Samantha Rapoport, American football player
 * Samantha Ratnam (born 1977), English–born Sri Lankan–Australian politician and social worker
 * Samantha Rebillet (1972–2017), French–born Australian actress, director, producer, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter
 * Samantha Redgrave (born 1994), British rower
 * Samantha Retrosi (born 1985), American luger
 * Samantha Reeves (born 1979), American tennis player
 * Samantha Richards (born 1983), Australian basketball player
 * Samantha Ricketts (born 1986), American softball coach and player
 * Samantha Ridgewell (born 1996), Canadian ice hockey player
 * Samantha Riley (born 1972), Aboriginal Australian swimmer
 * Samantha Roberts (born 2000), American–born Antiguan swimmer
 * Samantha Ronson (born 1977), English disk jockey, singer, and songwriter
 * Samantha Roscoe (born 1995), Australian basketball player
 * Samantha Rose (born 1954), Jamaican singer
 * Samantha Rowley (born 1988), English actress and model
 * Samantha Runnion (1996–2002), American murder victim
 * Samantha Rushton (born 1965), British Anglican priest
 * Samantha Sang (born 1951), Australian singer
 * Samantha Scaffidi, American actress
 * Samantha Shapiro (born 1993), American gymnast
 * Samantha Smith (1972-1985), American peace activist and child actress
 * Samantha Smith, American actress
 * Samantha Smith (gymnast) (born 1992), Canadian gymnast
 * Samantha Smith (born 1971), English former professional tennis player
 * Samantha Spiro, (born 1968), English actress and singer
 * Samantha Stosur (born 1984), Australian tennis player
 * Samantha Tajik (born 1983), Canadian model, actress and television personality
 * Samantha Taylor, stage name of Canadian radio and television personality Myroslava Luciw (born 1958)
 * Samantha Terán (born 1981), Mexican professional female squash player
 * Samantha Thornhill, poet, author, educator and producer from Trinidad and Tobago
 * Samantha Thornton (born 1966), Australian former women's basketball player
 * Samantha Tolj (born 1982), Australian actress
 * Samantha Tross (born 1968), British consultant surgeon
 * Samantha Urbani (born 1987), American singer and songwriter
 * Samantha van Diemen (born 2002), Dutch footballer
 * Samantha van Wissen (born 1970), Dutch dancer
 * Samantha Vice (born 1973), South African philosopher and academic
 * Samantha Vinograd (born 1983), American government official and foreign policy commentator
 * Samantha Virgo (born 1987), Australian former rules footballer
 * Samantha Wallace (born 1994), Trinidad and Tobago netball player
 * Samantha Wan (born circa 1990-91), Canadian actress, screenwriter, producer, and web series creator
 * Samantha Marie Ware (born 1991), American actress and singer
 * Samantha Warriner (born 1971), New Zealand retired triathlete
 * Samantha Watson (born 1999), American middle-distance runner
 * Samantha Weinberg, British novelist, journalist, and travel writer
 * Samantha Weinstein (born 1995), Canadian actress
 * Samantha Win (born 1991), Canadian actress and former wushu taolu athlete
 * Samantha Winders (born 1995), New Zealand netball player
 * Samantha Womack (born 1972), English actress and singer
 * Samantha Yeo (born 1997), Singaporean swimmer

Male

 * Samantha de Mel (born 1965), Sri Lankan-born Italian cricketer
 * Samantha Dodanwela (born 1970), Sri Lankan cricketer and tea company CEO
 * Samantha Fernando (born 1985), Sri Lankan cricketer
 * Samantha Sooriyabandara (died 2012), Sri Lankan army officer
 * K. V. Samantha Vidyaratna, Sri Lankan politician
 * Samantha Vithanage (born c. 1980), student murdered in Sri Lankan university

Fictional characters

 * Samantha, in the 2009 American fantasy comedy movie 17 Again
 * Samantha, a dog in the animated series Adventure Time episode "The Pit"
 * Samantha, a sentient AI from the movie Her
 * Samantha, the silent scorer in the BBC radio comedy panel game I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
 * Samantha, the protagonist from Need for Speed: Underground
 * Samantha, a character the panicked Olaf searches for in Disney's Frozen II (before he realizes he doesn't know a Samantha)
 * Samantha, James' seductive new boss in the 1993 film Look Who's Talking Now
 * Samantha Sammy, a fictional seal from Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo
 * Samantha Albertson, a character in the movie Now and Then, played by both Gaby Hoffmann and Demi Moore
 * Samantha Anderson, on the American TV soap opera As the World Turns
 * Samantha Baker, in the film Sixteen Candles
 * Samantha "Sam" Barnes, in the audio drama The Bright Sessions
 * Sami Brady, on the American soap opera Days of Our Lives
 * Sammy Jo Carrington, character in the American TV series Dynasty
 * Samantha Carter, from the television show Stargate SG-1 and related spinoffs, one of the six original main characters
 * Samantha Cole, a character in the film Liar Liar
 * Samantha Evelyn Cook/Art3mis, Wade Watts' girlfriend in Ready Player One (2011), Ready Player One (2018 movie) and eventual wife in the end of Ready Player Two (2020)
 * Samantha Darko, in the film Donnie Darko and its sequel, S. Darko
 * Samantha Fitzgerald, recurring character on the Australian soap opera Neighbours
 * Samantha "Sam" Giddings, one of eight protagonists from the survival horror game Until Dawn
 * Samantha Groves, in the television show Person of Interest, played by Amy Acker
 * Sam Jones, in the Eighth Doctor Adventures novels
 * Samantha Jones, in the television show Sex and the City, played by Kim Cattrall
 * Samantha "Sam" Kanisky, a character on the American television sitcom Gimme a Break
 * Samantha Kingston, in the film Before I Fall, played by Zoey Deutch
 * Samantha Tracy Lord, in the film High Society, played by Grace Kelly
 * Samantha Madison, from the novel All American Girl by Meg Cabot
 * Samantha "Sam" Manson, from ''Danny Phantom
 * Sam McCall, on the American soap opera General Hospital
 * Samantha "Sam" Micelli, a character in the TV show Who's the Boss?
 * Samantha "Sam" Milano, a character in the TV sitcom Step by Step
 * Sam Mitchell, in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders
 * Samantha "Sam" Montgomery, in the film A Cinderella Story
 * Samantha "Sam" Moore, in the 1989 action movie No Holds Barred
 * Samantha Mulder, Fox Mulder's sister on the TV show The X-Files
 * Sheriff Samantha Parker, a character in the 2002 monster comedy action film Eight Legged Freaks
 * Samantha Parkington, in the American Girl series
 * Sam Puckett, from iCarly, played by Jennette McCurdy
 * Samantha Simpson, one of the main protagonists from animated TV show Totally Spies
 * Samantha Spade, in the TV series Without a Trace, played by Poppy Montgomery
 * Samantha Stephens, in the TV show Bewitched
 * Samantha Taggart, in the TV show ER
 * Samantha Woodard, a character played by Nicole Eggert in the 2010 Television movie Turbulent Skies