Sam Scott
There are approximately 73 people named Sam Scott living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 4,695,265 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Sam with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Scott. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
73
1 in 4,695,265
Named Sam
52K
Alive today
Named Scott
483K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 52K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1918
Average age: 51
Top Census group: White (69.6%)
Estimated bearers: 483K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #40
Per 100K: 141.02
Top ancestry: White (57.7%)
First name trend
Sam: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Sam. The peak year was 1918 with 2,528 births. The average person named Sam today is 51 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sam
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Sam, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 69.6%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Sam described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Sam at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White69.6% · 84,560
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.2% · 12,437
- Black or African American8.6% · 10,407
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 9,449
- Two or more races2.9% · 3,551
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1,038
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Scott surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Scott, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 57.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Scott described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Scott at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White57.7% · 243,029
- Black or African American32.1% · 135,108
- Two or more races4.9% · 20,632
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 15,458
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 4,598
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2,674
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Sam has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0152% of the US population, based on 52,108 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Sam right now.
The surname Scott appears at a rate of 141.02 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.1410%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 73 people with the full name Sam Scott. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Sam
Related
Other people with the surname Scott
FAQ
Sam Scott: questions and answers
How many people are named Sam Scott?
We estimate approximately 73 people in the United States share the full name Sam Scott. That works out to about 1 in 4,695,265 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0152%) with the surname frequency (141.02 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Sam Scott?
We classify Sam Scott as "Very Rare". About 1 in 4,695,265 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Sam a male or female name?
Sam is predominantly male. Out of 128,347 total SSA registrations, 98.8% were male and 1.2% were female. See the full Sam profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many people have the full name Sam Scott?
Want to know how common the name Sam Scott is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.