Sampson as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Sampson

What is the meaning of the name Sampson ?

The baby name Sampson is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈsæmpsən/ (SAMP-suhn).

Sampson is Hebrew in Origin.

Sampson is the English spelling of a biblical name from Hebrew Shimshon, derived from shemesh, “sun,” with a diminutive -on: “sun-like” or “little sun,” conveying radiance and strength. The Greek Septuagint renders it Sampson (Sampson/Sampson with ps), which explains the p in this form; Latin more often has Samson. In scripture the judge Samson embodies prodigious strength, a quality long associated with the name.

Medieval Britain knew the name through Saint Samson/Sampson of Dol, a 6th-century Welsh-Breton bishop, which boosted its use in Celtic regions. In England it persisted as both a given name and a surname, and enjoyed a Protestant revival in early modern and colonial periods. Variants include Samson (standard English), Shimshon (Hebrew), Sanson (French/Spanish), Sansone (Italian), Sansao (Portuguese), and Sampsa (Finnish). Pet forms are Sam and Sammy. Today Sampson reads sturdy and traditional, a slightly rarer, archaic-flavored alternative to Samson.