Last updated: March 2026

Character Name

Samson

Meaning — From the Hebrew "Shimshon" meaning "sun" or "of the sun", possibly derived from "shemesh" (sun) — the name may connect to the sun's strength and brilliance. In the Hebrew Bible, Samson is the judge of Israel whose supernatural strength, bound to his uncut hair, is betrayed by Delilah, leading to his capture, blinding, and final act of destructive sacrifice.·Biblical Hebrew origin·Male·SAM-son

Samson Samson embodies the paradox of overwhelming physical power combined with catastrophic emotional vulnerability — a name for the hero whose greatest strength is inseparable from his greatest weakness. Characters named Samson are often magnificently capable yet dangerously susceptible to betrayal through love.

Best genres for Samson

Historical FictionFantasyMythologyLiterary Fiction

Famous characters named Samson

Samson Agonistes

Samson Agonistes John Milton

The blind, imprisoned hero of Milton's closet drama, struggling to reconcile his divine calling with his human failures in a powerful meditation on shame, redemption, and final sacrifice.


Variations & nicknames

SamsonShimshonSampson

Pairs well with

Samson CohenSamson LeviSamson KatzSamson ShapiroSamson GoldsteinSamson Stern

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Related names


More Biblical Hebrew names

Hannah

From the Hebrew "Ḥannāh" meaning grace, favour, or God's gracious gift, derived from the root "ḥ-n-n" meaning to be gracious. In the Hebrew Bible, Hannah is the mother of the prophet Samuel, whose moving prayer in the Temple (1 Samuel 1-2) after years of barrenness became a model of faithful, earnest prayer in Jewish and Christian tradition.

Shlomo

The original Hebrew form of Solomon, from the root "sh-l-m" related to "shalom" meaning peace, completeness, and wholeness. Shlomo is the Hebrew form used in Jewish prayer, scripture, and Israeli culture, maintaining the closest connection to the original name of the wise king who built the Temple in Jerusalem.

Ezra

From the Hebrew "Ezra" meaning help or assistance, derived from the root "ʿ-z-r" meaning to help or support. In the Hebrew Bible, Ezra is the priest and scribe who led the return of Jewish exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem and played a central role in reconstituting the Jewish community around the Torah, making him a founding figure of normative Judaism.

Eliezer

From the Hebrew "Eli'ezer" meaning "my God is help" or "God is my helper", compounded from "El" (God) and "ezer" (help). In the Hebrew Bible, Eliezer of Damascus is Abraham's senior servant who is entrusted with the mission of finding a wife for Isaac — his careful, prayer-guided journey to Mesopotamia and his encounter with Rebekah at the well is one of scripture's most detailed narrative passages.

Deborah

From the Hebrew "Devorah" meaning bee, from the root "d-b-r" associated with the bee's busyness, orderliness, and the sweetness of honey. In the Hebrew Bible, Deborah is the only female judge of Israel — a prophetess and military leader who summoned Barak to battle against the Canaanite general Sisera, and whose victory song (Judges 5) is considered one of the oldest texts in the Bible.

Rebekah

From the Hebrew "Rivkah" whose etymology is uncertain — proposed meanings include "to tie firmly", "snare" or "to bind", or possibly from a root meaning "to captivate" or "beautiful". In the Hebrew Bible, Rebekah is the wife of Isaac, chosen through an elaborate test of character at a well, and the mother of Jacob and Esau — a decisive figure who engineers Jacob's blessing over his older brother.


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