Samantha

Updated: 09/15

Samantha ~ His Name is God; Flowery ~ American origin

Samantha is a beautiful, classic name that is American in origin and came from a combination of the names Samuel and Anthea (I listed both definitions for those names above).

This name reminds me of the cover of an American Girl book: A brunette child with a pretty dress and ribbons in her hair. Some may still associate the name with the character from Bewitched, which was a major influence in making this name part of American culture. Parents really took notice after seeing a pretty, otherworldly leading lady with (at the time) a unique name. A much more modern TV show was Samantha Who, which told the story of another blonde-haired beauty who happened to have amnesia, played by Christina Applegate.

Growing up, I had a classmate named Samantha who we called Sam. She was blonde and mischievous and was the first girl to get a real boyfriend in 4th grade. I guess I didn't know her well enough for her personality to mark this name for me, because the American Girl cover is still my strongest association with the name. Whatever your associations are, chances are they are positive.

Popularity
Samantha is very popular right now, and was the number 10 name in 2006 for girls. These days, Samantha is sitting comfortably near the 30s and was ranked at 33 for 2014.

Nicknames

• Sam
• Sammie or Sammy