Given name & surname
Samara
“protected by God”
Samara is used as a given name and a surname. One Hebrew interpretation is “protected by God.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hebrew interpretation is “protected by God.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1949. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Samara through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 22,769
- 5 boys · 22,764 girls
- Most popular year
- 2018
- 1,270 babies
- 2025
- 957
- #320 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +5%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 957 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 320 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 5.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,270 in 2018. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (153). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 15,524 as a first name in 2020; 1,107 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Samara’s family of names
In Cebuano usage, Samara has a diminutive in SAMSAM. Samara has a related form in Samar. Samara has a related form in Samaria.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Samara has relatives in 12 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
8 related names in 12 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 18
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Samara
- Samara WeavingAustralian actress and model (born 1992)
- Samara JoyAmerican jazz singerborn 1999
- Samara FelippoBrazilian actressborn 1978
- Samara VieiraBrazilian handball playerborn 1991
- Sammie MaxwellNew Zealand cyclist (born 2001)
- Samara KarimovaKyrgyz singerborn 1991
- Samara AlmeidaBrazilian volleyball playerborn 1992
- Samara OrtizSpanish association football playerborn 1997
Characters named Samara: Samara Morgan (fictional character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Samara, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Zara
“princess”
>99% girls
Selah
“to hang”
1% boys · 99% girls
Anaiah
“Yah has answered” · “afflicted of Yah”
>99% girls
Briella
Briella is a feminine given name from Hebrew.
>99% girls
Adaiah
“Yahweh has adorned” · “ornament of the Lord”
16% boys · 84% girls
Azalea
“of the dry earth; resembling the flower” · “one who is spared by God”
>99% girls
Talia
“morning dew from heaven” · “blooming”
>99% girls
Ayla
“from the oak tree”
>99% girls