Shimshon
Samson was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges and one of the last leaders who "judged" the twelve tribes of Israel before the institution of the monarchy. He is sometimes regarded as an Israelite version of the popular Near Eastern folk hero archetype also embodied by the Sumerian Gilgamesh and Enkidu, as well as the Greek Heracles.
Meaning & Origin of Shimshon
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Samson was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges and one of the last leaders who "judged" the twelve tribes of Israel before the institution of the monarchy. He is sometimes regarded as an Israelite version of the popular Near Eastern folk hero archetype also embodied by the Sumerian Gilgamesh and Enkidu, as well as the Greek Heracles.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Shimshon
Shimshon first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1976, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2023, when 20 Shimshons were born — ranking #4,881 that year. As of 2026, Shimshon ranks #5,161 for baby boys with 19 births, rising sharply (+55% over the past five years). In total, more than 416 Shimshons have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Shimshon
Phonetically similar names — useful when Shimshon 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 Shimshon
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About the name Shimshon
Shimshon is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1976 and has accumulated 416 births in the dataset. Shimshon's peak popularity came in 2023 when it ranked #4,650. Use the chart and map above to compare Shimshon's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2023 →
- Names of the 2020s →
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- 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.