Samar
Feminine · “night conversation”
Samar is given to both — 1,107 girls and 1,278 boys since 1880. See Samar as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Samar is the Arabic word for the night talk itself — and before writing was common, that gathering was how a tribe kept its history.
How old is the name Samar?
Samar first appears in US birth records in 1972 — 53 years ago. The typical Samar alive today was born around 2003, making them about 22 years old. About 1,100 people named Samar are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Samar most popular?
Samar peaked in 1998, reaching #3573 nationally. Today it ranks #4661, 1,088 places below that high. See the whole 1998 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Samar
Pre-Islamic Arabia transmitted its poetry, genealogy and tribal history orally, and the samar was where it happened — the evening assembly at which someone recited what everyone needed to remember. Poets held enormous social authority because of it. The whole body of early Arabic verse survived through that institution before it was written down. Samar is used as a women's name across the Arab world.
Meaning
night conversation
From an Arabic root meaning to talk by night; samar is the gathering and the talk that happens in it. The related asmar describes a dark or dusky complexion, from the same idea of nightfall.
Pronouncing Samar
SAH-mar
Two syllables, first stressed. Americans often say suh-MAR.
Nicknames for Samar
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1972
- Most girls named
- 199833 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3573reached in 1998
- Change vs 2024
- +7.4%29 in 2025, from 27
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Samar in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- سمر in Arabic — transliteration
- Semra in Turkish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Illinois, Texas.
Samars among us
people named Samar are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 55,423 born in 2025 was named Samar
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Lalani test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Samar's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Lalani climbed just as high around 1955, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Lalani's path sketches the road Samar is walking now.
Samar sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Samar is headed
Samar should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Samar beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Samar in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning naming a real and historically important institution.
- Sam and Sammy are both ready short forms in English.
- Five letters and two syllables, quick to write.
- The stress moves to the second syllable in American mouths.
- It is a men's name in some communities, so forms may guess wrong.
- Samar is also a Philippine island, which is a separate word.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Samar to the vote.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Samar
Feminine · #4661 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Samars are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,100 people named Samar are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Samar in 2025?
- Samar ranks #4661 among US girl names in 2025, with 29 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Samar?
- About 1 in every 55,423 US girls born in 2025 was named Samar — 29 in all.
- Will my child share the name Samar with classmates?
- Samar will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Samar
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Ellenor#4661 · Roselie#4661 · Marni#4661 · Menucha#4661 · Infinity#4661 · Lilya#4661 · Railyn#4661 · Zada#4661
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Samar? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Samar and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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