Sami
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- SAH-mee
- Origin
- Arabic
- UK rank, 2025
- #289 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,112 for boys
Sami is a boys' name of Arabic origin, meaning “lofty, exalted”. In 2025 it ranked 289th for boys in the UK (175 babies) and 1,112th for boys in the US (193 babies).
What does Sami mean?
Arabic: Arabic; also a Finnish short form of Samuel
“lofty, exalted”
Arabic for lofty or sublime; in Finland Sami is also a short form of Samuel.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Sami a girl's or a boy's name?
Sami is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 3 girls and 175 boys in the UK and 27 girls and 193 boys in the US.
How popular is Sami in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #289among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 175about 1 in 1,700 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 10% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 175 boys in the UK were named Sami, making it the 289th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 333rd. Its busiest year was 2010, with 183 boys. 3 girls were also named Sami in 2025 (5,990th for girls).
2025 had more boys named Sami than any year since 2010.
Half of all the boys named Sami in the UK since 1996 were born between 2006 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 271st in England and Wales and 441st in Scotland.
Sami in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 175 | #289 |
| 2024 | 158 | #314 |
| 2023 | 127 | #372 |
| 2022 | 143 | #350 |
| 2021 | 148 | #345 |
| 2020 | 151 | #333 |
| 2019 | 155 | #336 |
| 2018 | 112 | #424 |
| 2017 | 152 | #354 |
| 2016 | 156 | #345 |
| 2015 | 147 | #353 |
| 2014 | 163 | #314 |
| 2013 | 158 | #311 |
| 2012 | 151 | #338 |
| 2011 | 152 | #324 |
| 2010 | 183 | #287 |
| 2009 | 175 | #284 |
| 2008 | 170 | #281 |
| 2007 | 159 | #278 |
| 2006 | 161 | #261 |
| 2005 | 151 | #254 |
| 2004 | 137 | #268 |
| 2003 | 122 | #282 |
| 2002 | 77 | #367 |
| 2001 | 86 | #346 |
| 2000 | 65 | #399 |
| 1999 | 53 | #458 |
| 1998 | 60 | #413 |
| 1997 | 48 | #457 |
| 1996 | 36 | #529 |
How popular is Sami in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,112among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 193about 1 in 8,800 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 18% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 193 boys in the US were named Sami, making it the 1,112th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,313th. It first appears in the records in 1955. 27 girls were also named Sami in 2025 (4,877th for girls).
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had the most boys named Sami of any year since it first appeared, in 1955.
Half of all the boys named Sami in the US since 1880 were born between 1996 and 2017, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 1964, 65% of the babies named Sami in the US were girls. By 2025 it was 12%, with more boys than girls since 1978.
Sami in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 193 | #1,112 |
| 2024 | 156 | #1,262 |
| 2023 | 147 | #1,300 |
| 2022 | 123 | #1,468 |
| 2021 | 137 | #1,349 |
| 2020 | 137 | #1,313 |
| 2019 | 122 | #1,432 |
| 2018 | 160 | #1,188 |
| 2017 | 174 | #1,110 |
| 2016 | 164 | #1,164 |
| 2015 | 168 | #1,132 |
| 2014 | 148 | #1,229 |
| 2013 | 134 | #1,291 |
| 2012 | 124 | #1,359 |
| 2011 | 144 | #1,212 |
| 2010 | 137 | #1,267 |
| 2009 | 140 | #1,257 |
| 2008 | 155 | #1,165 |
| 2007 | 139 | #1,263 |
| 2006 | 135 | #1,239 |
| 2005 | 132 | #1,200 |
| 2004 | 139 | #1,131 |
| 2003 | 123 | #1,196 |
| 2002 | 124 | #1,145 |
| 2001 | 126 | #1,116 |
| 2000 | 94 | #1,350 |
| 1999 | 95 | #1,280 |
| 1998 | 91 | #1,298 |
| 1997 | 106 | #1,151 |
| 1996 | 103 | #1,147 |
| 1995 | 75 | #1,354 |
| 1994 | 88 | #1,227 |
| 1993 | 85 | #1,223 |
| 1992 | 84 | #1,224 |
| 1991 | 82 | #1,221 |
| 1990 | 71 | #1,313 |
| 1989 | 75 | #1,238 |
| 1988 | 65 | #1,266 |
| 1987 | 44 | #1,585 |
| 1986 | 47 | #1,456 |
| 1985 | 46 | #1,451 |
| 1984 | 43 | #1,457 |
| 1983 | 48 | #1,346 |
| 1982 | 31 | #1,814 |
| 1981 | 24 | #2,137 |
| 1980 | 23 | #2,213 |
| 1979 | 22 | #2,235 |
| 1978 | 31 | #1,718 |
| 1977 | 19 | #2,361 |
| 1976 | 30 | #1,710 |
| 1975 | 20 | #2,204 |
| 1974 | 17 | #2,356 |
| 1973 | 12 | #2,855 |
| 1972 | 12 | #2,817 |
| 1971 | 15 | #2,463 |
| 1970 | 15 | #2,398 |
| 1969 | 7 | #3,594 |
| 1968 | 12 | #2,444 |
| 1967 | 14 | #2,138 |
| 1966 | 11 | #2,464 |
| 1965 | 11 | #2,474 |
| 1964 | 11 | #2,545 |
| 1963 | 6 | #3,645 |
| 1962 | 10 | #2,671 |
| 1961 | 6 | #3,650 |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 6 | #3,618 |
| 1958 | 0 | – |
| 1957 | 10 | #2,629 |
| 1956 | 0 | – |
| 1955 | 5 | #3,884 |
Names like Sami
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Muhammad Ahmed Abdullah Syed Hamza Mustafa Umar Yusuf Musa Amir Khalid Ibrahim
Names related to Sami
More Arabic names
Layla Mohammed Lyla Mohammad Zara Aaliyah Amira Fatima Ali Yahya Zayn Aisha Omar Zahra Kairo Safa
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Sami: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/sami, updated 20 October 2026.