Boy nameCurrently #17 in the USFalling
Samuel
SAM-yoo-ul//ˈsæmjuəl//
3 syllablesPeak year: 20016 lettersStarts with S
Meaning & origin
Heard by God, name of God
Samuel comes from the Hebrew meaning close to 'God has heard' or 'name of God', and in the Bible he is the prophet and judge who anointed both King Saul and King David. A steady, dignified classic, it has remained popular across centuries.
Samuel's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Samuel |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 1,024 |
| 1881 | 919 |
| 1882 | 1,003 |
| 1883 | 937 |
| 1884 | 945 |
| 1885 | 888 |
| 1886 | 870 |
| 1887 | 802 |
| 1888 | 931 |
| 1889 | 810 |
| 1890 | 820 |
| 1891 | 759 |
| 1892 | 902 |
| 1893 | 856 |
| 1894 | 776 |
| 1895 | 814 |
| 1896 | 734 |
| 1897 | 759 |
| 1898 | 749 |
| 1899 | 704 |
| 1900 | 883 |
| 1901 | 628 |
| 1902 | 702 |
| 1903 | 741 |
| 1904 | 727 |
| 1905 | 863 |
| 1906 | 789 |
| 1907 | 892 |
| 1908 | 965 |
| 1909 | 983 |
| 1910 | 1,129 |
| 1911 | 1,398 |
| 1912 | 2,608 |
| 1913 | 2,855 |
| 1914 | 3,712 |
| 1915 | 4,361 |
| 1916 | 4,413 |
| 1917 | 4,506 |
| 1918 | 4,795 |
| 1919 | 4,487 |
| 1920 | 4,671 |
| 1921 | 4,774 |
| 1922 | 4,616 |
| 1923 | 4,595 |
| 1924 | 4,615 |
| 1925 | 4,430 |
| 1926 | 4,203 |
| 1927 | 4,226 |
| 1928 | 3,871 |
| 1929 | 3,598 |
| 1930 | 3,550 |
| 1931 | 3,407 |
| 1932 | 3,428 |
| 1933 | 3,132 |
| 1934 | 3,152 |
| 1935 | 3,166 |
| 1936 | 2,902 |
| 1937 | 3,050 |
| 1938 | 3,266 |
| 1939 | 3,272 |
| 1940 | 3,382 |
| 1941 | 3,552 |
| 1942 | 4,220 |
| 1943 | 4,159 |
| 1944 | 3,964 |
| 1945 | 3,973 |
| 1946 | 4,551 |
| 1947 | 5,123 |
| 1948 | 5,018 |
| 1949 | 5,378 |
| 1950 | 5,244 |
| 1951 | 5,493 |
| 1952 | 5,677 |
| 1953 | 5,444 |
| 1954 | 5,651 |
| 1955 | 5,557 |
| 1956 | 5,612 |
| 1957 | 5,251 |
| 1958 | 5,070 |
| 1959 | 4,985 |
| 1960 | 4,738 |
| 1961 | 4,693 |
| 1962 | 4,586 |
| 1963 | 4,547 |
| 1964 | 4,490 |
| 1965 | 4,420 |
| 1966 | 4,181 |
| 1967 | 4,252 |
| 1968 | 4,148 |
| 1969 | 4,460 |
| 1970 | 4,585 |
| 1971 | 4,444 |
| 1972 | 4,253 |
| 1973 | 4,299 |
| 1974 | 4,704 |
| 1975 | 4,658 |
| 1976 | 5,063 |
| 1977 | 5,299 |
| 1978 | 5,426 |
| 1979 | 5,735 |
| 1980 | 6,049 |
| 1981 | 6,081 |
| 1982 | 6,062 |
| 1983 | 6,258 |
| 1984 | 6,409 |
| 1985 | 7,074 |
| 1986 | 7,636 |
| 1987 | 8,639 |
| 1988 | 9,627 |
| 1989 | 10,144 |
| 1990 | 10,926 |
| 1991 | 11,259 |
| 1992 | 11,381 |
| 1993 | 11,750 |
| 1994 | 12,190 |
| 1995 | 12,469 |
| 1996 | 13,656 |
| 1997 | 14,260 |
| 1998 | 13,939 |
| 1999 | 14,071 |
| 2000 | 14,214 |
| 2001 | 14,845 |
| 2002 | 14,598 |
| 2003 | 14,712 |
| 2004 | 14,182 |
| 2005 | 14,295 |
| 2006 | 13,664 |
| 2007 | 13,382 |
| 2008 | 12,796 |
| 2009 | 12,195 |
| 2010 | 11,999 |
| 2011 | 11,372 |
| 2012 | 11,482 |
| 2013 | 11,153 |
| 2014 | 11,038 |
| 2015 | 10,912 |
| 2016 | 10,631 |
| 2017 | 10,463 |
| 2018 | 9,862 |
| 2019 | 9,331 |
| 2020 | 8,599 |
| 2021 | 8,579 |
| 2022 | 8,422 |
| 2023 | 8,029 |
| 2024 | 8,317 |
Samuel through the decades
- Samuel peaked in 2001, when 14,845 babies were named Samuel in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Samuel has fallen 25% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Samuel currently ranks #17 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
SamSammy
Variants & spellings
Samuele
Famous people named Samuel
- Samuel L. Jackson — actor