In 1964, a nice young witch named Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) first twitched her nose on TV in "Bewitched." Samantha, a name that didn't even appear on the top 1,000 list in 1963, shot up to No. 472. By 1972, it was at No. 137. Tabitha, the name of Samantha's daughter, came out of nowhere to crack the top 300 by 1969. Tabitha has since gone into decline, but Samantha proved a powerhouse. Today, it's No. 15 among girls' names in the United States.
Bewitching name from the past
The name Samantha had more staying power than Tabitha.
Chicago Tribune
August 10, 2010 at 9:33PM
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