Head to head · Boys' names
Samson vs Tanner
#477 vs #475 in 2025
Tanner is a whisker ahead (#475 vs #477 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Tanner is stepping back from its peak, Samson is climbing the charts fast. On momentum, Samson has the edge.
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, Tanner leads 4 measures of 6; Samson 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
- 1890s: Samson #952, Tanner — — Samson higher
- 1900s: Samson #1086, Tanner — — Samson higher
- 1910s: Samson #1689, Tanner #3599 — Samson higher
- 1920s: Samson #2011, Tanner #4075 — Samson higher
- 1930s: Samson #2006, Tanner #3289 — Samson higher
- 1940s: Samson #1940, Tanner — — Samson higher
- 1950s: Samson #1570, Tanner #2770 — Samson higher
- 1960s: Samson #1580, Tanner #3281 — Samson higher
- 1970s: Samson #1199, Tanner #1432 — Samson higher
- 1980s: Samson #961, Tanner #372 — Tanner higher
- 1990s: Samson #984, Tanner #108 — Tanner higher
- 2000s: Samson #934, Tanner #130 — Tanner higher
- 2010s: Samson #674, Tanner #230 — Tanner higher
- 2020s: Samson #550, Tanner #409 — Tanner higher
Samson stood higher in 9 of 14 decades; Tanner has held the lead since the 1980s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Samson | Tanner |
|---|---|---|
| 1890s | #952 | — |
| 1900s | #1086 | — |
| 1910s | #1689 | #3599 |
| 1920s | #2011 | #4075 |
| 1930s | #2006 | #3289 |
| 1940s | #1940 | — |
| 1950s | #1570 | #2770 |
| 1960s | #1580 | #3281 |
| 1970s | #1199 | #1432 |
| 1980s | #961 | #372 |
| 1990s | #984 | #108 |
| 2000s | #934 | #130 |
| 2010s | #674 | #230 |
| 2020s | #550 | #409 |
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
Samson
From Hebrew shemesh, "sun" — often read as "little sun" or "of the sun"
The root shemesh is not disputed; the -on ending is generally taken as a diminutive or affectionate suffix, which is where the "little sun" rendering comes from.
Shimshon → Sampsōn → Sampson → Samson
How it traveled
The name begins as Hebrew Shimshon, borne by the long-haired judge of the Book of Judges whose strength, blindness and final act in the Philistine temple make one of the most-retold episodes in scripture. The Greek translators of the Hebrew Bible wrote it Sampsōn, and Latin passed that spelling into medieval Europe, where it attached to Saint Samson of Dol, a sixth-century bishop honored in Brittany, Wales and Cornwall.
Tanner
one who tans hides — a leather-worker
The trade is the whole story. English surnames from the same industry include Barker, from the oak bark tanners used to cure the leather.
tannere (Old English, 'one who tans hides') → Tanner (English occupational surname) → Tanner (given name)
How it traveled
Tanner comes from the Old English tannere, a worker who cured animal skins into leather, and the word behind it traveled through Medieval Latin before that. Because the job was distinctive and the guilds were organized, it settled early and widely as an English hereditary surname.
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
Samson
SAM-suhn
Stress on the first syllable. In Spanish and Italian the stress moves to the end: san-SON, san-SO-neh.
- Sam — The everyday short form, and a standalone given name in its own right — shared with Samuel, so a Sam is rarely assumed to be a Samson.
- Sammy — Informal and affectionate, used mostly in childhood and within families, though some men keep it for life.
- Sonny — Occasional, drawn from the second syllable rather than the first; also stands alone as a given name.
Tanner
TAN-ur
Stress on the first syllable, rhyming with manner and banner. It reads the same on first sight in nearly every English-speaking country.
- Tann — The most natural clipping, informal and used mostly within families and among friends.
- T — Initial-only address, common on teams and in workplaces.
- Tanny — Affectionate, used mainly for small children and rarely carried into adulthood.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Samson if you want…
- a name on the way upup 89 places on the charts in five years
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 49% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 69% for Tanner
Choose Tanner if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsTanner is stepping back from its peak
- a name that feels very nowTanner is stepping back from its peak
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
Samson
Strengths
- Comes with Sam already built in — a short form in continuous English use for centuries, so no nickname has to be invented.
- The spelling is familiar to anyone who has read the Bible or met the surname, so it is usually written correctly on the first try.
- A documented record stretching from ancient Hebrew through Greek, Latin, Breton and English without a break.
To consider
- The biblical story is inescapable: strength, long hair, Delilah and the haircut. Expect jokes about muscles or about needing a trim, mostly good-natured, mostly from adults.
- Sam is shared with Samuel, which is far more common. He may spend some of his life clarifying which longer name the Sam belongs to.
- Sampson with a p is a well-established variant, so the spelling will sometimes need saying aloud.
Tanner
Strengths
- One spelling, one pronunciation — almost nobody asks twice, and nobody has to spell it over the phone.
- Already familiar as a surname, so it sounds like a name people know even when they have never met a Tanner.
- Over a century on American birth records, with a long stretch of steady, widespread use behind it.
To consider
- The name has a clear generational shape: most people carrying it in the US are young adults rather than children. For some parents that is pleasantly familiar; for others it can read as recent rather than timeless.
- "Tan" is close enough that tanning-salon and spray-tan jokes turn up eventually. They tend to be brief and low-grade, but they do turn up.
- Nickname options are thin. Tann and Tanny are about it, so a child who wants a very different everyday name may have to reach for a middle name instead.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Samson
49%chance Samson feels dated by 2040
Samson is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
Tanner
69%chance Tanner feels dated by 2040
Tanner is coming down from a big peak (#82 in 1997). This is the stretch of the cycle where a name starts to sound like the decade it ruled.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
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 Samson and Tanner 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
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Put both to the vote.
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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
- Occupation names: little masons and archers
- Names that belong entirely to the 1990s
- The best baby names starting with T
- all guides
Where Samson and Tanner each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Samson or Tanner — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Samson or Tanner?
- Tanner, in 2025: Tanner ranked #475 with 641 babies; Samson ranked #477 with 639 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Samson or Tanner?
- Samson. Over the last five years Samson moved up 89 places; Tanner moved down 142 places.
- Which is the older name, Samson or Tanner?
- Samson entered the US charts in 1892; Tanner entered the US charts in 1913. On the American record, Samson is the older name.
- How many people are named Samson and Tanner?
- About 12,000 people named Samson are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 95,500 people named Tanner are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Samsons or Tanners in the classroom?
- Samson will almost certainly be the only one in school. Tanner 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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