Samarra
Samarra is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate, 125 kilometers (78 mi) north of Baghdad. Due to the presence of Al-Askari Shrine, the city is considered a holy site in Shia Islam. The modern city of Samarra was founded in 836 CE by the Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tasim as a new administrative capital and military base.
Meaning & Origin of Samarra
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Samarra is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate, 125 kilometers (78 mi) north of Baghdad. Due to the presence of Al-Askari Shrine, the city is considered a holy site in Shia Islam. The modern city of Samarra was founded in 836 CE by the Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tasim as a new administrative capital and military base.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Origin & history
The Story of Samarra
American parents first put Samarra on the record books as a baby girl name in 1976, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2004, when 43 Samarras were born — ranking #3,444 that year. About 58% of every Samarra on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. Samarra last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 419 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Samarra
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Ahmed Abdul Ghafoor [ ar ] , former head of the Sunni Endowment Office with the rank of Minister.
- Saleh al-Badri (1893–1943), poet
- Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (1971–2019), Iraqi militant leader who led the Islamic State and its predecessor group the Islamic State of Iraq from 2010 until his death in 2019.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Samarra
Phonetically similar names — useful when Samarra is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Samarra
What does the name Samarra mean?
How popular is Samarra in 2026?
When was Samarra most popular?
In which U.S. states is Samarra most popular?
Is Samarra a unisex name?
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About the name Samarra
Samarra is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1976 and has accumulated 419 births in the dataset. Samarra's peak popularity came in 2004 when it ranked #3,444. Use the chart and map above to compare Samarra's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2004 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "S" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.