Given name
Samira
“companion for evening conversation”·“a special man”
Samira is a feminine form of Samir. One Arabic interpretation is “a special man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Arabic use, Samira carries the interpretation “companion for evening conversation.” Samira is a feminine form of Samir. One Arabic interpretation is “a special man.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Arabic.
How it developed
Samira is used as a feminine counterpart of Samir.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1961. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Samira through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 8,875
- 0 boys · 8,875 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 387 babies
- 2025
- 387
- #723 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +31%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 387 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 723 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 31.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (53). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 11,693 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Samira’s family of names
Samira is a feminine form of Samir. Samira has a related form in Sameera. Samira has a related form in Samir.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 14
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 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Samira
- Samira SaidMoroccan-Egyptian singer and actressborn 1958
- Samira EfendiAzerbaijani singerborn 1991
- Samira WileyAmerican actor and modelborn 1987
- Sameera MoussaEgyptian nuclear physicist (1917-1952)
- Samira MakhmalbafIranian film director and screenwriterborn 1980
- Samira Tewfikmusical artistborn 1935
- Samira BellilFrench feminist activist and campaigner for the rights of girls and women (1972–2004)
- Samira IbrahimWomen's rights activistborn 1986
- Samira IslamSaudi pharmacologistborn 1901
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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