Samson
Meaning
traditionally translated as 'of the sun', from Hebrew 'shemesh'
The story
Samson comes from the Hebrew shemesh, "sun," and belongs to the strongest man in Scripture: the hero granted exceptional strength, betrayed by Delilah, shorn, blinded, and still able to bring the temple down on his captors in a final act of strength. That is a lot of story for a birth certificate, which may explain the register's long caution: 169 boys in the 1920s, 255 in the 1960s, steady but small. The modern columns show the caution dissolving: 937 in the 1980s, 1,915 in the 2000s, 3,902 across the 2010s and 3,200 so far this decade. Sam is the everyday handle, same as his quieter cousin Samuel, but the long form carries the sun in it and everyone knows the hair story. The name once read as too big for a birth certificate; the current columns suggest the size is now exactly the point.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Samson peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
30 people · the #94,398 first name in Brazil · median age 33
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Samson
Most people given the name Samson in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Samson deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Samson truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Samson fits with your family’s names and surname.
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