Samatha
Samatha, "calm," "serenity," "tranquility of awareness," and vipassanā, literally "special, super, seeing ", are two qualities of the mind developed in tandem in Buddhist practice.
Meaning & Origin of Samatha
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Samatha, "calm," "serenity," "tranquility of awareness," and vipassanā, literally "special, super, seeing ", are two qualities of the mind developed in tandem in Buddhist practice.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Samatha
The earliest SSA record of Samatha as a baby girl name dates back to 1964, when 9 babies received it. 1989 was its biggest year on record, with 248 newborns named Samatha — #780 in the national rankings. About 38% of every Samatha on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. Samatha last appeared in the published SSA data in 2018, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 4K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1960s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Samatha
Phonetically similar names — useful when Samatha 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 Samatha
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About the name Samatha
Samatha is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1964 and has accumulated 4K births in the dataset. Samatha's peak popularity came in 1989 when it ranked #780. Use the chart and map above to compare Samatha's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1989 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- 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.