Samella
A feminine name derived from the Latin name Samaria, meaning "luscious and plump".
Name Census estimates that about 263 living Americans carry the first name Samella. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Samella today is around 69 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Samella births was 1918 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Samella. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Samella is about 69 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Samellas were born before 1967.
People living today
263
~ 1 in 1,303,248 Americans
Peak year
1918
25 babies that year
Average age
69
years old
1994 SSA rank
#13,072
Tracked since 1898
Census
Samella in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 371 people with the first name Samella, which placed it at #25,534 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#25,534
National first-name rank
People counted
371
371 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
88.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Samella
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Samella is Black at 88.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Hispanic (2.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Samella described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Samella at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American88.1% · 327
- White6.2% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 8
- Two or more races1.9% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Popularity
Samella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Samella from the 1890s through to the 1990s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 151 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Samella by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Samella during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Samellas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi recorded the most babies named Samella, while Alabama, Illinois, Mississippi recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 21 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Samella
The name Samella is a feminine given name with roots that can be traced back to ancient Greek and Latin origins. It is believed to be derived from the Greek word "samella," which means "little beauty" or "little charmer." This suggests that the name was likely given to daughters with the intent of bestowing them with beauty and charm.
In ancient times, the name Samella appeared in Greek and Roman historical texts, though its usage was relatively rare. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the writings of the Greek historian Herodotus, who mentioned a woman named Samella in his work "The Histories," written in the 5th century BCE.
As the name spread throughout the Mediterranean region, it gained popularity in certain areas, particularly in parts of Italy and Greece. In the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various historical records, including birth and marriage registers in some Italian cities.
One notable figure who bore the name Samella was a Roman noblewoman who lived in the 1st century CE. She was known for her philanthropic efforts and her support of the arts. Another historical figure with this name was Samella, a Greek philosopher and poet who lived in the 4th century CE and was renowned for her works on moral philosophy.
During the Renaissance period, the name Samella experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly among Italian families. One prominent individual with this name was Samella Boccaccio, an Italian artist and sculptor who lived in the 15th century and was known for her intricate woodcarvings.
In the 17th century, a notable figure named Samella Fontana was a celebrated operatic singer in Italy, renowned for her performances in various operas composed by the likes of Claudio Monteverdi and Francesco Cavalli.
As time passed, the name Samella continued to be used across different regions, though its popularity waxed and waned. In the 19th century, a French writer named Samella Durand gained recognition for her novels and short stories that explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition.
While the name has maintained a niche presence throughout history, it has never been among the most widely used given names globally. However, its rich linguistic heritage and the diverse array of notable individuals who have borne this name contribute to its enduring legacy.
People
Samella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Samella as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Samella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Samella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 263 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Samella going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,303,248 US residents.
Is Samella a common name?
We classify Samella as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 716 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Samella most popular?
The single biggest year for Samella was 1918, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Samella is about 69 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Samella in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 371 people with the name Samella, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #25,534 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Samella in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Samella?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Samella appears almost entirely female. Of the 367 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Samella?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Samella is Black at 88.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Hispanic (2.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Samella most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Samella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (327 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Samella in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Samella a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Samella in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Samella still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Samella in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Samella can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Samella?
See how many people have the name Samella on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.