Samantha

[samantha9]

What do you think of this name for a little girl born in 2026? I like Sam and Sammy as shortenings but really like the longer name too. Is it an underused classic or unusable?

The name Beverley peaked in the 60s and then fell off the charts entirely. Samantha peaked in the 80s and fell off the charts entirely. That's what makes names feel dated.
As lovely as it is, calling a child Samantha today would be similar to being called Beverley 20 or 30 years ago.
I find name stats and trends fascinating.
I'm considering Keira for my child but am concerned about the same issue.
I try to stick with names that are either solid classics, unusual enough that they don't really date, or on trend.

DD is 29 and there were two Samanthas in her year at school - one was known as Sammy, the other as Sammi. And another classmate had a younger sister Samantha, known as Mantha, who will be 25 now.

A lot of posters are saying it was a 70s / 80s name, but it was still going strong in the late 1990s in my part of Scotland.

I really like Samantha.

My best friend in infant school is Samantha - we are mid 50s now! I don't think its aged as a name in the same way as some of its contemporaries eg Michelle, Susan, Deborah.

I'm not keen on the full name, but Sam/Sammy are nice.

One of my closest friends is technically a Samantha but has only been known as Sam from about the age of 6 as she loathes her full name.

I think it’s pretty awful. Dated but not in a good way.

I really like it. It's my 6 year olds middle name. I also know a 7 year old Samantha who goes by Sammy.

It's a bit different compared to today's name trends and I like it, its refreshing.

People saying it's dated,yet we have Ethel and Arthur,both of which I think are awful..they are definitely old peoples names. My oldest DD 55 had 3 Samanthas in her class right to secondary. Why do children on Mumsnet have to have nicknames,or shortened names. My late parents brought me up your name is your name end of. You cannot shorten the names of my kids.

@Nannyfannybanny , Arthur and Ethel aren't dated. They are current names.
Samantha is likely to be a 55 year old, not a 5 yr old, and that's why it is dated.

Why do children on Mumsnet have to have nicknames,or shortened names.
Because long names get shortened. Short names get lengthened.

Really, what short names get lengthened? Must be an age thing. I had a cousin Isobel, she died last year,age 97, some one called her belle, she went ballistic! All my friends are called by their correct names.

Hughie, Jamie, Tommy, Georgie, Annie, Gracie, Rosie, Katie, Evie.

Shortening names is not new. If you are the mother of a 55 year old, you probably went to school with children called Debbie, Vicky, Nicky, Sue, Jackie, Angie, Mandy, Jo, Cathy, Liz, Jon, Chris, Nick, Mike, Tony, Tim, Tom, Steve, Ben, Alex, ...

I think it's a great name! My best friend at school was Samantha... We're 56 now! I don't think it sounds dated, though.

@Nannyfannybanny names do get lengthened. My DH is John, but his parents and brother all insisted on calling him Johnny! 🤮

Also, it's not true that older people don't or didn't use diminutives. My grandparents were Frank (Francis), Vi (Violet), Kay (Catherine) and Mannie (Manuel). All born around 1910-1915

@HerVagestyTheQueef , it's not dated on a 56-year old but would do on a 5-year old.

I forgot Johnny when I posted, and Janie. A friend is Jill and gets called Jilly (cute) or Jillian (which isn't).

My grandparents were from an era when people were given names like Margaret, Anne, Mary, Catherine, Elizabeth, Thomas, John, William, Robert and their known as Maggie, Meg, Daisy, Peggy, Annie, Nancy, Mary, May, Kitty, Lizzie, Bessie, Elsie, Tommy, Tom, Bill and Bob.

Samantha is nice but I don’t like Sam/Sammy/Sammi. Hard to keep everyone calling her Samantha so I would go for another name