Given name & surname
Sami
“one who has been exalted”
Sami is used as a given name and a surname. One Arabic interpretation is “one who has been exalted.”
Original Arabicسامي
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Arabic interpretation is “one who has been exalted.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Arabic.
How it developed
In Finnish usage, Sami is a diminutive of Samuel. In Finnish usage, Sami is a diminutive of SAMULI.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1945. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In Finnish use, Sami is a diminutive of Samuel. The history of Samuel gives this family its wider story. In the Bible, Samuel is called by God while still a child and later becomes a prophet who anoints Saul and David. Samuel was especially favoured by English and American Puritans and later Nonconformists.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Sami through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 6,727
- 5,303 boys · 1,424 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 220 babies
- 2025
- 220
- #1,114 for boys · #4,969 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +1%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 87% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 193 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,114 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 0.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 27 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (22). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 9,683 as a first name in 2020; 1,694 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.
Sami’s family of names
In English usage, Sami is a diminutive of Samantha. In English usage, Sami has a related form in Sammie. Sami has a related form in Samantha.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Sami has relatives in 17 languages. Lines run from its Arabic roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 10
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Samuelfull form · Finnish
- Samanthafull form · English
- Sammievariant · English
- Samyvariant
- Sameavariant
- Samievariant
- Sameevariant
- Lappalainennickname · Finnish
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Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 11
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- ساميArabic
- سَامِيArabic
- Sampsaequivalent
- Samuequivalent
- سامیUrdu, Persian
- СомӣTajik
- Samîkmr
- СаміBelarusian, Ukrainian
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People named Sami
- Sami KhediraGerman association football playerborn 1987
- Sami HyypiäFinnish footballer and managerborn 1973
- Sami Al-Jaberformer Saudi Arabian footballer and managerborn 1972
- Sami FrashëriAlbanian writer, philosopher, playwright and activist (1850–1904)
- Sami AllaguiTunisian association football playerborn 1986
- Sami VänskäFinnish musicianborn 1976
- Sami Al-Najeiassociation football playerborn 1997
- Sami JauhojärviFinnish cross-country skierborn 1981
- Sami FreyFrench actorborn 1937
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Sami, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Musa
“a savior”
>99% boys
Ibrahim
“father of a multitude; father of nations” · “father of a multitude (of nations)”
>99% boys
Mordecai
“devotee of the god Marduk” · “a servant of Marduk, a Babylonian god”
>99% boys
Âdem
Âdem is a masculine given name from Arabic, ultimately from Proto-Semitic. It is used in Turkish.
>99% boys
Samson
“sun man”
>99% boys
Mixail
“Who is like God?”
>99% boys
Homon
Homon is a given name, probably from Biblical Hebrew, ultimately from Old Persian. It is used in Judeo-Tat.
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İbrahim
“father”
>99% boys