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Samson as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Samson

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The baby name Samson is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈsæmsən/ (SAM-suhn).

Samson is Hebrew in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: /ˈsæmsən/ (SAM-suhn)

What is the meaning of the name Samson ?

The baby name Samson is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈsæmsən/ (SAM-suhn).

Samson is Hebrew in Origin.

Samson stems from Hebrew Shimshon (שִׁמְשׁוֹן), built on shemesh, “sun,” with a -on formative, yielding the sense “sun-like” or “of the sun.” Some scholars also link it to the West Semitic sun deity Shamash, reinforcing a solar, radiant meaning. Via Greek Sampsōn and Latin Samson, the name entered European languages through the Bible, carrying associations of dazzling strength and divine favor.

Its best-known bearer is the mighty judge of the Book of Judges, whose legend fueled medieval art and Milton’s Samson Agonistes, and the cult of sixth-century Saint Samson of Dol spread the name in Celtic Brittany and Britain. Usage revived in Reformation and Puritan circles and persists across Jewish and Christian communities. Variants and cognates include Sampson (English), Sansón (Spanish), Sansone (Italian), Sansão (Portuguese), Samsonas (Lithuanian), Sampsa (Finnish), and Slavic Samson/Самсон. Informal short forms are Sam and Sonny.

Samson has the following similar or variant Names

Samson – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2024 #1 — 820
BI 0 #12 1 425
HT 0 #12 1 399
ET Boys 0 #16 12 678
BW 0 #19 1 960
BF Boys 0 #26 1 439
HT Boys 0 #29 6 903
BN 0 #32 1 2,297
NA 0 #33 1 2,537
BI Boys 0 #41 4 917
MO 0 #48 5 2,706
NG Boys 0 #51 9,185 16,906
CM 0 #56 1 2,592
NG 0 #75 231 5,926
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
JP 0 #77 1 4,057
MV Boys 0 #77 3 3,375
MD Boys 0 #81 1 756
CN 0 #85 2 3,857
KZ 0 #94 1 1,452
SD 0 #100 3 2,130
TW 0 #102 2 4,523
QA 0 #105 2 7,011
PH 0 #108 3 5,607
GE Boys 0 #110 1 2,055
BN Girls 0 #113 2 5,459
BW Boys 0 #113 37 4,685
KW 0 #119 3 5,216
OM 0 #120 2 6,215
EE Boys 0 #125 1 2,087
CY Boys 0 #126 6 3,473
Norway Boys 2025 #129 6 444
ID Boys 0 #134 2 4,130
Switzerland Boys 2024 #135 3 1,769
BN Boys 0 #137 3 6,332
BW Girls 0 #149 3 4,216
LT Boys 0 #151 1 2,166
RS Boys 0 #151 4 2,277
HK Boys 0 #159 879 12,905
MO Boys 0 #159 65 5,842
CR 0 #164 2 5,526
AE 0 #167 11 10,220
HU Boys 0 #173 2 3,954
MT Boys 0 #174 6 4,064
Sweden Boys 2022 #179 4 1,509
RU 0 #191 4 3,641
TW Boys 0 #208 34 7,111
NA Boys 0 #209 27 6,830
SI Boys 0 #210 2 3,402
LU Boys 0 #219 2 4,970
BG Boys 0 #220 1 3,850
France Girls 1945 #221 3 774
PS 0 #221 6 5,692
GH Boys 0 #224 131 8,138
GH 0 #227 17 5,396
ZA Boys 0 #232 2,678 25,619
BD 0 #241 1 5,992
AO Boys 0 #244 6 5,568
HK 0 #249 102 8,483
JP Girls 0 #251 1 6,592
SG 0 #254 16 11,010
HR Boys 0 #255 5 3,997
GR Boys 0 #257 11 6,912
MO Girls 0 #260 4 7,056
Canada Boys 2024 #272 35 2,588
CN Boys 0 #278 42 9,639
IL 0 #278 5 6,291
SA 0 #286 10 10,560
JM Boys 0 #292 2 6,876
KZ Boys 0 #292 5 6,578
HR Girls 0 #294 1 3,687
CZ Boys 0 #301 5 6,530
JP Boys 0 #302 2 7,909
AL Boys 0 #303 1 5,122
MY 0 #307 24 12,352
DK Boys 0 #324 9 7,401
SD Boys 0 #327 120 10,523
DK Girls 0 #329 1 7,429
PH Boys 0 #331 53 11,440
KZ Girls 0 #332 1 5,862
GH Girls 0 #334 4 6,973
PL Boys 0 #336 5 6,459
QA Girls 0 #343 1 15,378
France Boys 2021 #362 26 2,865
CM Boys 0 #367 202 12,054
MU Boys 0 #368 2 8,477
PT Boys 0 #375 7 7,951
JO Boys 0 #389 1 7,057
YE 0 #397 2 8,639
ZA 0 #404 44 14,421
BD Girls 0 #406 1 8,413
EG 0 #411 2 6,387
UY Boys 0 #412 2 5,922
Finland Boys 0 #415 13 2,041
OM Girls 0 #420 5 15,987
PH Girls 0 #425 5 13,098
Austria Boys 0 #427 16 2,180
RU Boys 0 #440 66 12,621
NG Girls 0 #445 419 15,093
United States Boys 2024 #446 582 7,044
AR Boys 0 #483 1 7,628
LY 0 #489 47 12,703
BH 0 #495 59 17,937
GT Boys 0 #499 1 7,625
PS Boys 0 #500 49 10,655
CR Boys 0 #504 7 10,188
KW Girls 0 #505 11 19,177
IQ Girls 0 #524 2 11,303
AE Girls 0 #543 11 20,968
PS Girls 0 #546 2 10,981
CM Girls 0 #555 6 11,671
IL Boys 0 #557 51 10,983
IR Boys 0 #557 9 10,162
QA Boys 0 #579 129 18,093
SG Boys 0 #587 111 17,960
BD Boys 0 #601 5 10,045
CL Boys 0 #621 45 13,390
SG Girls 0 #630 3 18,916
HK Girls 0 #643 8 16,104
IL Girls 0 #643 3 11,648
LB 0 #649 10 13,263
IN Girls 0 #651 4 13,121
Finland Boys 2026 #653 30 3,552
KW Boys 0 #664 106 18,755
IQ Boys 0 #692 6 13,071
MY Boys 0 #692 457 25,439
IT 0 #705 10 4,183
OM Boys 0 #753 129 17,948
BR Boys 0 #780 6 12,213
AE Boys 0 #798 300 22,615
TN 0 #817 13 13,765
EG Boys 0 #860 27 15,035
IN Boys 0 #866 136 16,750
Germany Boys 0 #879 74 5,697
NL Boys 0 #880 72 5,873
Spain Boys 0 #887 44 5,610
CL Girls 0 #915 1 14,098
SA Girls 0 #916 20 25,931
PE Boys 0 #925 2 14,506
CO Boys 0 #981 1 15,656
MY Girls 0 #985 10 24,821
EG Girls 0 #1,004 6 14,742
MX Boys 0 #1,031 3 16,355
ZA Girls 0 #1,037 105 25,928
MA 0 #1,106 23 20,986
DZ 0 #1,159 18 20,130
TR 0 #1,197 15 19,440
IT Boys 0 #1,259 213 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,341 274 28,008
IT Girls 0 #1,412 35 9,415

Samson is popular in 87 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Norway
Canada
United States
Switzerland

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People also ask about Samson

Samson is predominantly a boy's name.
Samson is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /ˈsæmsən/ (SAM-suhn).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Sampson, Shimshon, Sam, Sammy and Samy.
Across languages, Samson has these equivalents: Hebrew: Shimshon (שִׁמְשׁוֹן), Arabic: شمشون (Shamshun), Greek: Σαμψών (Sampsōn), Russian: Самсон (Samson).
Yes, very popular — Samson ranked #1 in Ireland in 2024, and appears in official birth registries across 9 countries.
Samson ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2024).
Samson's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #377 in 2011 to #362 in 2021 in France.