Sam
Sam is a male given name: 96% of people named Sam are men, and it is recorded as male in 4 of the 9 countries covered.
- Verdict
- Male
- Male / female split
- 96% male / 4% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Korea, Belgium
- US births since 1880
- 123,800 male / 1,437 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Sam
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Sam," in English, "Guten Tag Sam," in German. Sam is a male given name: about 96% of people named Sam are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Sam,
German
Guten Tag Sam,
French
Bonjour Sam,
Spanish
Estimado/a Sam:
Chinese
Sam您好：
Japanese
Sam様
English
Hi Sam,
German
Hi Sam,
French
Salut Sam,
Spanish
Hola Sam,
Chinese
Sam你好：
Japanese
Samさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | man's name | 99% |
| Korea | common | unisex name | 50% |
| Belgium | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Vietnam | uncommon | unisex name | 50% |
| Netherlands | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Great Britain | rare | man's name | 75% |
| Sweden | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Ireland | rare | man's name | 75% |
| Malta | rare | man's name | 75% |
United States birth data
123,800 male · 1,437 female · 125,237 births recorded
Since 1980: 98% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sam a male or female name?
Sam is a male given name: 96% of people named Sam are men, and it is recorded as male in 4 of the 9 countries covered.
How do I address Sam in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Sam," in English, "Guten Tag Sam," in German. Sam is a male given name: about 96% of people named Sam are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Sam a unisex name?
Sam is not a unisex name: 96% of people named Sam are men. Sam leans strongly male overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Sam a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/sam (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_sam,
title = {Is Sam a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/sam},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}