Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Sam

Sam is an abbreviated version often used for the names Samuel, Samson and/or Samantha; however, it has developed into an independently given name by itself (mainly for boys). Sam was Frodo’s hobbit sidekick in J.R.R. Tolkien’s popular novel “The Lord of the Rings” (1954). In hobbit speech, which Tolkien took from Olde English, Sam’s full name is “Samwise” meaning ‘half wise’ – suggesting that Sam means ‘half’. We guess it could be said that Sam is sort of “half” a name anyway. Interestingly, Sam is also the Croatian word for “alone”. Sam has had a successful career as an independently given name in its own right (like Max or Ben). It’s one of those names that many parents just prefer shortened and stand-alone. In fact, Sam is hugely popular in the Netherlands, but it is also a Top 50 choice among boy names in the nations of Ireland and Belgium, and a Top 100 in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Sweden, England and Australia.

All About the Baby Name – Sam

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME SAM

Romance is the hallmark of the Six personality. They exude nurturing, loving, and caring energy. Sixes are in love with the idea of love in its idealized form - and with their magnetic personalities, they easily draw people toward them. Like the number Two personality, they seek balance and harmony in their life and the world at large. They are conscientious and service-oriented, and a champion for the underdog. These personalities naturally attract money and are usually surrounded by lovely material objects - but their human relationships are always primary. They thrive in giving back to others rather than being motivated by their own desires. This is when they achieve great things. Sixes are natural teachers, ministers and counselors.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME SAM

Sam has been a consistently used name in the United States since the U.S. government first began tracking naming trends in 1880. In fact, back at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, Sam was at the top of his game (in the year 1900 Sam was ranked #34 on the charts). The name finally fell off the Top 100 list in 1928 and has yet to return to his glory days. Sam has been on the decline ever since – it appears as if American parents far prefer the full name Samuel to the pet form Sam. Still, Sam remains at levels of low-moderation on the charts. Like Max and Ben, Sam is a simple one-syllable name. It’s darling on a little boy (or girl even!) and yet it ages nicely into adulthood. Sam is an all-around risk free choice.

Quick Facts

ON SAM

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

1

RANKING POPULARITY:

552

PRONUNCIATION:

SAM

SIMPLE MEANING:

Half

Characteristics

OF SAM

Humanitarian

Community-minded

Family-oriented

Loving

Affectionate

Compassionate

Sensitive

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Sam

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME SAM

Sam is a character in Ernest Hemingway’s 1927 short story, “The Killers”, one of his most famous, which was also adapted to the movies. Sam is the black cook at the diner where two thugs come looking for a hit. Although this is the basic plot, and Hemingway’s alter-ego, Nick Adams, is at the center of it, Sam’s character seems to have an entirely unspoken history and back story all his own. This is 1920s Chicago, someone is looking to kill someone else, and Sam is having none of it. He is staying out of the way in the kitchen, and in his opinion, nobody else should get involved, either. Sam is a realist. He knows that these men are killers and that the law is as corrupt as they; there will be no justice from that direction. He submits to the indignity of being tied up and being racially slandered. In his way, he is doing exactly what the target of the hit is doing – he is accepting his fate as inevitable, which it is, and doing so with “grace under pressure”, Hemingway’s most admired virtue.

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME SAM

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Sam


Popular Songs

ON SAM

Black Jack Fletcher and Mississippi Sam
a song by Montgomery Gentry

Muddy, Sam and Otis
a song by Rod Stewart

Famous People

NAMED SAM

Uncle Sam (personification of the U.S. government)
Sam Crawford (baseball player)
Sam Demel (baseball player)
Sam Donaldson (news reporter)
Samuel "Sammy" Davis, Jr. (entertainer)
Sam Elliott (actor)
Sam Houston (American statesman)
Sam Mendes (film director)
Sam Rockwell (actor)
Sam Shepard (playwright/actor)
Sam Snead (golfer)
Sam Walton (founder of Wal-Mart)
Sam Warner (co-founder of Warner Bros. Studios)
Sam Waterston (actor)

Children of Famous People

NAMED SAM

Denise Richards; Charlie Sheen;

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME SAM

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Sam