Head to head · Girls' names
Samira vs Theodora
#723 vs #725 in 2025
Samira is a whisker ahead (#723 vs #725 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Samira is climbing the charts fast, Theodora is holding its place on the charts.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Samira leads 4 measures of 6; Theodora leads 2.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Samira —, Theodora #671 — Theodora higher
- 1890s: Samira —, Theodora #643 — Theodora higher
- 1900s: Samira —, Theodora #619 — Theodora higher
- 1910s: Samira —, Theodora #605 — Theodora higher
- 1920s: Samira —, Theodora #565 — Theodora higher
- 1930s: Samira —, Theodora #658 — Theodora higher
- 1940s: Samira —, Theodora #653 — Theodora higher
- 1950s: Samira —, Theodora #965 — Theodora higher
- 1960s: Samira #4989, Theodora #1345 — Theodora higher
- 1970s: Samira #3179, Theodora #2086 — Theodora higher
- 1980s: Samira #1913, Theodora #2377 — Samira higher
- 1990s: Samira #1402, Theodora #2755 — Samira higher
- 2000s: Samira #1033, Theodora #3386 — Samira higher
- 2010s: Samira #1061, Theodora #2144 — Samira higher
- 2020s: Samira #821, Theodora #762 — Theodora higher
Theodora stood higher in 11 of 15 decades; Theodora took the 2020s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Samira | Theodora |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #671 |
| 1890s | — | #643 |
| 1900s | — | #619 |
| 1910s | — | #605 |
| 1920s | — | #565 |
| 1930s | — | #658 |
| 1940s | — | #653 |
| 1950s | — | #965 |
| 1960s | #4989 | #1345 |
| 1970s | #3179 | #2086 |
| 1980s | #1913 | #2377 |
| 1990s | #1402 | #2755 |
| 2000s | #1033 | #3386 |
| 2010s | #1061 | #2144 |
| 2020s | #821 | #762 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Samira
companion in evening conversation
From the Arabic root s-m-r, tied to samar, nighttime talk and storytelling. Often rendered more loosely as 'entertaining companion' or 'pleasant conversationalist'.
samar (Arabic: evening talk) → Samīr → Samīra → Samira
How it traveled
Samira is the feminine form of the Arabic name Samir, both built on the root s-m-r and its noun samar — the talk that happens after sunset. The name spread far beyond Arabic with Islam and with Arabic literary influence, taking hold in Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Swahili-speaking and Bosnian naming alike, so that a Samira in Sarajevo and a Samira in Cairo carry the same word.
Theodora
Gift of God
From Greek theos, "god", and dōron, "gift" — the same pairing found, in reverse order, in Dorothea.
Theodōros → Theodōra → Theodora
How it traveled
The name is Greek: theos and dōron joined into Theodōra, the feminine of Theodōros. It spread with Greek-speaking Christianity and became a name of the Byzantine court — most famously the empress Theodora, wife of Justinian I, whose portrait in mosaic still stands in Ravenna.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Samira
sa-MEE-rah
Stress falls on the long middle syllable. In Arabic the final vowel is short and clipped; American speakers usually give it a fuller -ah. A minority say SAM-ih-ra, so one correction at the start of a school year is worth expecting.
- Sam — The everyday short form in English-speaking settings; shared with Samuel, Samantha and Sam as a standalone name.
- Sammy — Informal, used mostly within families and among children.
- Mira — Takes the stressed middle of the name; also a full given name in its own right in several languages.
- Sami — Common in Arabic- and Bosnian-speaking families; also an independent masculine name.
- Also Sam-Sam.
Theodora
thee-uh-DOR-uh
Four syllables with the stress on the third. Some speakers say thee-oh-DOR-uh, keeping the Greek theo- intact; both are accepted and neither needs correcting.
- Thea — The most common short form in current use, and long established as an independent given name of its own.
- Teddy — Informal; shared with Theodore, so it is used for boys and girls alike.
- Dora — Taken from the end of the name rather than the start; also stands alone as a given name, and is more familiar to older generations.
- Theo — Informal, and increasingly used on its own; overlaps heavily with Theodore.
- Also Teddie, Dodie.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Samira if you want…
- a name on the way upup 202 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesSamira is 3 syllables to Theodora's 4
- a newer arrivalSamira entered the US charts in 1961
Choose Theodora if you want…
- a name holding steadyTheodora is holding its place on the charts
- a name with more sound in itTheodora runs 4 syllables, Samira 3
- a long American recordTheodora was already in use when US records began in 1880
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Samira
Strengths
- Works unchanged across Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Bosnian and Swahili-speaking families — the same spelling, the same sound, no translation needed.
- Spelled the way it sounds for most English speakers, with no silent letters or unusual clusters.
- Ready-made short forms already in real use: Sam, Sammy, Mira.
To consider
- Sameera, Samirah and Samera all exist on American paperwork, so she will sometimes have to spell it out — and will occasionally receive mail addressed to one of the others.
- It sits close to Samara, Samantha and the masculine Samir, and gets muddled with all three by people hearing it quickly.
- The most obvious short form, Sam, is shared with a long list of other names, so it carries less of the original with it than Mira does.
Theodora
Strengths
- An unbroken written record going back to the Greek-speaking Mediterranean, with a meaning that is settled and easy to state.
- Several ready-made short forms — Thea, Teddy, Dora, Theo — spanning formal and casual registers.
- The same spelling works in Italian, Spanish and Polish, and the name is recognizable across most of Europe.
To consider
- Four syllables is a lot to say, and it will often be shortened by others before it is shortened by you. Worth liking at least one of the nicknames.
- Teddy and Theo are shared with Theodore and are heard more often on boys, so a Theodora who goes by either may be asked to clarify.
- It sits low enough in current use that a Theodora will likely be the only one in her school — good for distinctiveness, occasionally tiring when a name needs repeating.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Samira and Theodora in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Samira and Theodora?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Arabic names in American use
- Regency names, Bridgerton included
- The best baby names starting with T
- all guides
Where Samira and Theodora each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Samira or Theodora — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Samira or Theodora?
- Samira, in 2025: Samira ranked #723 with 387 babies; Theodora ranked #725 with 384 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Samira or Theodora?
- Samira. Over the last five years Samira moved up 202 places; Theodora moved up 110 places.
- Which is the older name, Samira or Theodora?
- Samira entered the US charts in 1961; Theodora was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Theodora is the older name.
- How many people are named Samira and Theodora?
- About 8,800 people named Samira are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 7,800 people named Theodora are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Samiras or Theodoras in the classroom?
- Samira will almost certainly be the only one in school. Theodora will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
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