Sam

Heard by God; Hebrew theophoric meaning "God has listened"

boyHebrew

How does Sam feel alongside your favorites? Talk through the sound, meaning and fit with your family.

Sam meaning & origin

Sam is listed in our catalog as a boy name. Its listed meaning is "Heard by God; Hebrew theophoric meaning "God has listened"". Listed origin: Hebrew.

Pronunciation

sam

Catalog phonetic spelling

Popularity

In 2024, Sam ranked #651 in US Social Security name records for male births. This is the latest verified year in our catalog, not a live ranking.

Sam popularity by year

US Social Security birth-name ranks. A smaller rank means more recorded births in the reported sex category.
Birth yearRank
2020#655
2021#659
2022#658
2023#675
2024#651

Source: Social Security Administration. US data is not a worldwide measure of usage. Missing years are not zero births.

Middle Name Ideas

  • Sam James
  • Sam Alexander
  • Sam William
  • Sam Thomas

Famous Namesakes

  • Sam Cooke (singer)
  • Sam Walton (Walmart founder)
  • Sam Smith (singer)

Sources & notes

Meanings, origins, pronunciations, and namesakes are catalog entries that have not yet completed source-by-source editorial review. Nicknames and middle-name pairings are ideas to try, not usage statistics. We show birth-name ranks only when the record includes source-file provenance; missing data is not evidence of rarity.

The pronunciation button uses your device's speech voice, not a native-speaker recording.

Variants & Alternate Spellings of Sam

Turn a name you like into a shortlist.

Compare sound, try the full name aloud, and find the names you want to come back to.

Frequently Asked Questions About Sam

What does the name Sam mean?

Sam is listed in our catalog as a boy name. Its listed meaning is "Heard by God; Hebrew theophoric meaning "God has listened"". Listed origin: Hebrew.

How do you pronounce Sam?

Our catalog's pronunciation guide is sam. Pronunciation can vary by language and family.

How popular is the name Sam?

In 2024, Sam ranked #651 in US Social Security name records for male births. This is the latest verified year in our catalog, not a live ranking.

What middle names could work with Sam?

Try Sam James, Sam Alexander, Sam William, Sam Thomas aloud with your surname. These pairings are subjective suggestions.

Still deciding on the perfect name?

Save Sam to your shortlist, swipe through thousands of names, and find the one you and your partner both love.