Sam is the short form of Samuel, the Hebrew name of the prophet who anointed Saul and David, usually explained as "God has heard". As the name of Uncle Sam and of countless film characters from Casablanca to The Lord of the Rings, it is about as familiar as an American name can be. Sam was number 460 in the United States in 2000, peaked at 436 in 2003 and ranks 647 in 2025.