Given name & surname
Saul
“one who was prayed for”
Saul is used as a given name and a surname. One Hebrew interpretation is “one who was prayed for.”
Original Hebrewשאול
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hebrew interpretation is “one who was prayed for.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
From Old English Saul, from Late Latin Saul, from Ancient Greek Σαούλ, from Hebrew שָׁאוּל, from Hebrew שָׁאַל.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
The name has a place in biblical naming traditions.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Saul appears in 1 Samuel 10:1, Acts 13:9, Acts 13:21.
- 1 Samuel 10:1
- Acts 13:9
- Acts 13:21
From biblical name research
Saul through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 43,362
- 43,288 boys · 74 girls
- Most popular year
- 2006
- 1,120 babies
- 2025
- 535
- #557 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −2%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 535 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 557 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 1.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 1,120 in 2006. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (117). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 51,866 as a first name in 2020; 6,843 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.
Saul’s family of names
In English usage, Saul shares an earlier linguistic root with Silas. Saul has a related form in Sol. In German usage, Saul has a conventional equivalent in Silas.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Saul has relatives in 8 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
12 related names in 8 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Solvariant
- Saulovariant · Portuguese
- Shaulvariant · English
- Sollyvariant
- Sollievariant
- Solleyvariant
- Solleavariant
- Solleevariant
Show 4 moreShow fewer
Across languages 12
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Silasdoublet · English, German
- SauliusLithuanian
- Савелійequivalent
- Szawełequivalent
- Σαῦλοςequivalent
- Saulson“son of” surname · English
- Савелийequivalent
- Savelyequivalent
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See also 9
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
- Paulsee also
- Silvanusshares a root
- Paulusalso known as · German
- Salushares a root
- Sallaishares a root
- Sallushares a root
- Sheolshares a root
- Shealtielshares a root
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People named Saul
- Saul BellowCanadian-American writer (1915–2005)
- SlashBritish musicianborn 1965
- Saul KripkeAmerican philosopher and logician (1940–2022)
- Saul ZaentzAmerican film producer and record company executive (1921-2014)
- Saul SteinbergRomanian-American cartoonist (1914-1999)
- Saul NanniItalian actorborn 1999
- Saul AdlerIsraeli microbiologist (1895–1966)
- Abba SaulJewish Tanna101
- Saul HallapEstonian weightlifter (1897-1941)
Characters named Saul: Saul Goodman (the television drama series Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Saul, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Solomon
“a peaceful man”
>99% boys
Jabez
“sorrowful” · “one who is delivered in pain”
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Seosaph
“God will add” · “God shall add”
>99% boys
Tehinnah
“grace”
>99% boys
Jeroham
“he is pitied” · “he will obtain mercy”
>99% boys
Jahleel
“wait for God” · “hope of God”
>99% boys
Seth
“one who has been appointed”
>99% boys
Uriel
“the angel of light”
98% boys · 2% girls