Sam

Where Sam comes from

Wiktionary's etymology listing comes up empty for Sam.

  • 1 syllable
Sam through the years
  1. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #36 among boys, with 457 babies in the first year on record.
  2. 1882
    Peak, #30
    555 babies named Sam, its best rank.
  3. 1968
    Sam Rockwell born
    American actor
  4. 1985
    Sam Altman born
    American venture capitalist
In the dictionary
  • A diminutive of the male given names Samuel and Samson.
  • A diminutive of the female given name Samantha.
Namesakes
  • Sam Altman · American venture capitalist, born 1985
  • Sam Rockwell · American actor, born 1968
  • Sam Houston · American statesman, politician, and soldier, 1793–1863
  • Sam Nujoma · President of Namibia from 1990 to 2005, 1929–2025
  • Sam Shepard · American playwright and actor, 1943–2017

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.