Given name & surname · also Gaelic
Samuel
“God has heard”·“asked of God”
Samuel is a Hebrew biblical name traditionally understood through the idea of a prayer being heard or a child being asked of God.
Original Hebrewשמואל
Meaning & origin
What it means
Suggested meanings include “God has heard” and “asked of God.” The exact derivation is not certain.
Where it comes from
Samuel comes from Hebrew Shemuel, with a long history in Jewish and Christian naming traditions.
How it developed
One explanation understands the name as God hearing a parent’s prayer. Another connects it with a shortened Hebrew phrase meaning “asked of God,” echoing Hannah’s words about her son.
The story
In the Bible, Samuel is called by God while still a child and later becomes a prophet who anoints Saul and David. The name was especially favoured by English and American Puritans and later Nonconformists.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Samuel appears in Numbers 34:20, 1 Samuel 1:11, Acts 3:24 and 1 other passage.
- Numbers 34:20
- 1 Samuel 1:11
- Acts 3:24
- Hebrews 11:32
From biblical name research
Samuel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 823,085
- 820,196 boys · 2,889 girls
- Most popular year
- 2001
- 14,845 babies
- 2025
- 8,342
- #18 for boys · #11,753 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −15%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 8,334 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 18 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 14.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 14,813 in 2001. It also appeared in 8 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (987). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 566,085 as a first name in 2020; 24,616 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Samuel’s family of names
Samuel has a short form in Sam. In English usage, Samuel has a feminine form in Samantha. Samuel has a related form in Sammy.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Samuel has relatives in 43 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
65 related names in 43 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 34
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Samdiminutive · English, Tagalog
- Shmuelvariant · English
- Samidiminutive · Finnish
- Sammydiminutive · English
- Sammiediminutive · English
- Samydiminutive · French
- Sammuellikely variant
- Sammivariant
Show 26 moreShow fewer
- Ueldiminutive · English
- Samsamdiminutive · ceb
- Sammeyvariant
- Samwellvariant
- Samuelevariant · Italian, Neapolitan
- Samelvariant · German
- Samkovshort form · English
- Sampiediminutive · Afrikaans
- Semmidiminutive · gsw
- Samsdiminutive · English
- Samudiminutive · Spanish, Finnish
- Schmuelvariant · German
- Samukavariant
- Sammoelvariant
- Samoelvariant
- Sammeavariant
- Sammeevariant
- Samuelovariant
- Samuellovariant
- Schmuhlvariant · German
- Schmohlvariant · German
- Schmoelvariant · German
- Samuelssonvariant · German
- Samuelsonvariant · German
- Samuelsenvariant · German
- Samuelsvariant · German
Spellings & scripts 5
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 48
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Samanthafeminine form · English
- Samuilcognate
- Samuelafeminine form · Hawaiian
- KamuelaHawaiian
- SamweliSwahili
- Samuellequivalent
- Samiiloequivalent
- Самвелequivalent
Show 40 moreShow fewer
- Samouwelequivalent
- سموألequivalent
- Սամուէլequivalent
- शमूएलequivalent
- Saamuaborrowing · Greenlandic
- Saamuborrowing · Greenlandic
- Σαμάνθαfeminine form · Greek
- SamuliFinnish
- SámalFaroese
- SamúelIcelandic
- СамійлоUkrainian
- SámuelHungarian
- СамуилMacedonian, Russian
- שמואלYiddish
- サミュエルJapanese
- SamuelisLithuanian, Latin
- ŞamilTurkish
- ΣαμουήλGreek, Ancient Greek
- SaamuelEstonian
- HāmioraMāori
- ІзмаїлUkrainian
- SámmolNorthern Sami
- SamuèlOccitan
- ՍամվելArmenian
- HāmueraMāori
- СамойлоRussian
- சாமுவேல்Tamil
- СамуїлUkrainian
- 撒母耳cdo
- SamwelMaltese
- SamuēlLatvian
- サムエルJapanese
- სამუელიGeorgian
- SamúéilIrish
- SamuëlWest Frisian
- SamyèlHaitian Creole
- SamuelluCorsican
- ShmouelBreton
- Samoylacognate
- Sawylcognate
See also 21
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Samuel
- Samuel BeckettIrish writer (1906–1989)
- Samuel JohnsonEnglish writer and lexicographer (1709–1784)
- Samuel Taylor ColeridgeEnglish poet, literary critic and philosopher (1772–1834)
- Samuel L. JacksonAmerican actor (born 1948)
- Samuel MorseAmerican inventor and painter (1791–1872)
- Samuel Eto'oCameroonian association football playerborn 1981
- Samuel P. HuntingtonAmerican political scientist (1927–2008)
- Samuel de Champlain16/17th-century French explorer of North America1567–1635
- Sam HarrisAmerican author, philosopher and neuroscientist (born 1967)
Characters named Samuel: Falcon (Marvel Comics), Sam Winchester (the television series Supernatural), Sam Wilson (the Marvel Cinematic Universe), Samuel Loomis (the Halloween franchise).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Samuel, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jesse
“gift” · “God exists; a gift from God; God sees all”
97% boys · 3% girls
Aaron
“Exalted” · “mountain of strength”
>99% boys
Daniel
“God is my judge”
>99% boys
Nathan
“he has given” · “God has given”
>99% boys
Caleb
“dog” · “resembling a dog”
>99% boys
Benjamin
“son of the right hand” · “son of the south”
>99% boys
Emmanuel
“God is with us”
>99% boys
Gabriel
“man of God” · “a hero of God”
>99% boys