Samaria

Meaning of Samaria

Samaria, pronounced suh-MAR-ee-uh, stems from the Hebrew Shomron—often rendered “watch tower” or “mountain of vigilance”—and names the ancient capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. As a modern given name it balances biblical gravitas with a gently geographic twist, appealing to parents who like their place names delivered with a scriptural footnote. In U.S. usage Samaria has hovered on the quieter side of the popularity charts since its first recorded appearance in 1952, never straying far from the lower half of the Top 1000 yet refusing to disappear, most recently ranking 832 with 118 newborns in 2024. Its four-syllable cadence places it near Samara and Amariah in sound, while the friendly “Sam” opening provides a nod to the familiar Samantha without repeating it. Culturally the name evokes sun-bleached hills and Sunday-school stories in equal measure, a blend that offers history without heaviness and rarity without obscurity—qualities that should please any parent prepared to fit seven letters on a cupcake.