Samson means sun or sunlight — from the Hebrew shemesh. In the Bible, Samson IS the strongest man who ever lived — he killed a lion with bare hands, slew a thousand Philistines, and pulled down a temple. Two syllables of the STRONGEST man ever, killed-a-lion-bare-handed, and the Hebrew sun.
Two syllables with the most powerful sound: SAM-son.
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The vibe of Samson
sunsunlightHebrewshemeshstrongestlionbare handsthousand Philistinestemplepulled down
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Origin & history of Samson
Hebrew shemesh (sun)→Samson (sun-man)
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Hebrew roots
Samson means sun. He IS the strongest man — killed a lion bare-handed, slew a thousand, pulled down a temple.
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First recorded
Earliest known use: Biblical — Judges 13-16.
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Today
Samson remains a beloved choice, ranking #574 in the US. 12,235 babies have been named Samson since 1892.
◈ Sources: Behind the Name, Oxford Dictionary of First Names, SSA data
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How popular is Samson?
2024peak year
Samson entered U.S. records in 1892, near the turn of the 20th century. Its popularity climbed over the following decades. In 2024, 582 babies received the name (ranked #522). Today it sits around #574, with roughly 491 babies named Samson each year. Samson's usage has held roughly steady recently. In total, around 12,235 babies have been registered with this name since 1880.
Year-by-year registrations1880–2024 · U.S. Social Security data
Samson's Life Path 1 is the leader's number — strongest-ever leadership. People named Samson tend to be powerful, sun-like, and gifted at killing lions, slaying thousands, AND pulling down temples.
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