MEANING & CONTEXT
What does Sam mean?
Sam is a familiar short form of Samuel and Samantha. Samuel has a biblical Hebrew origin, while Samantha is a later English feminine name with a less certain historical derivation.
Spellings in Indian scripts
Devanagari
सैम
Conventional spelling
HISTORICAL VOTER RECORDS
Sam in Indian usage
12,009 historical electoral-roll records, chiefly adults, rather than current baby-name rankings.
Used for both boys and girls in these historical records; the recorded sex does not determine anyone’s identity.
- Recorded as female: 2,915 records (24.3%).
- Recorded as male: 9,094 records (75.7%).
By birth decade
| Birth decade | Records |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 502 |
| 1950s | 1,131 |
| 1960s | 2,275 |
| 1970s | 2,882 |
| 1980s | 3,031 |
| 1990s | 1,928 |
| Other decades | 260 |
By state or territory
| State / territory | Records |
|---|---|
| Kerala | 3,848 |
| Assam | 1,455 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 1,068 |
| Maharashtra | 848 |
| Bihar | 775 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 683 |
| Jharkhand | 644 |
| Haryana | 604 |
| Delhi | 514 |
| Gujarat | 364 |
| Punjab | 306 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 255 |
| Other states | 645 |
How to read these numbers
Small counts and a second count where needed are withheld for privacy; an omitted value is not zero. Coverage, dates and suppression.
Recorded abroad
Official births registered in 2025, for the exact spelling shown.
| Jurisdiction | Spelling / recorded sex | Births | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| England & Wales | Sam / M | 115 | 363 |
| Scotland | Sam / M | 31 | 144 |
ONS and National Records of Scotland; Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3. Counts follow each office’s publication rules.
Explore related lists
Sources
- Given-name entry (Wikidata): Sam ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Given-name spelling
- Historical Indian voter-record totals, v3 ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Historical usage; CC0 1.0; birth years 1910–2001
- England & Wales 2025 birth statistics: Exact spelling Sam; Table_6, C371 ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Exact spelling Sam; Table_6, C371
- Scotland 2025 birth statistics: Exact spelling Sam; full-list-1974-2025.csv; 2025 Boy ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Exact spelling Sam; full-list-1974-2025.csv; 2025 Boy