ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1890 First Year 2024 Last Year 1985 Peak Year #1760 Peak Rank 3K Total Count 120 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Samuel What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Samuel is a male name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "name of God", deriving from the Hebrew Shem (שֵׁם) + ʾĒl. However, from the explanation given in 1 Samuel 1:20, the name could alternatively come from a contraction of the Hebrew שְׁאִלְתִּיו מֵאֵל, meaning "I have asked/borrowed him from God". Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel%5F%28name%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel%5F%28name%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * English * French * German * Dutch * Spanish * Portuguese * Polish * Czech * Slovak * Romanian * Swedish * Norwegian * Danish * Finnish * Jewish * Amharic * Biblical * Hungarian [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Samuel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Bible_primer%2C_Old_Testament%2C_for_use_in_the_primary_department_of_Sunday_schools_%281919%29_%2814759101386%29.jpg/330px-Bible_primer%2C_Old_Testament%2C_for_use_in_the_primary_department_of_Sunday_schools_%281919%29_%2814759101386%29.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel%5F%28name%29) 📖 ## The Story of Samuel Samuel first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 1,024 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2001: 14,813 births, good for #26 nationwide. As of 2026, Samuel ranks #20 for baby boys with 8,112 births, gradually falling (-12%). All told, over 828K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Samuel Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Samuel. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Sam](/sam) * [Sami](/sami) * [Sammie](/sammie) * [Sammy](/sammy) * Samppa * Samu * Samuël * Samuli 🎶 ## Names that sound like Samuel Phonetically similar names — useful when Samuel is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Samuele](/samuele) * [Samual](/samual) * Smule * Samu * Simul * [Samuelle](/samuelle) * Hamule * Saoul * [Samiel](/samiel) * Saml * Simu * Samsel Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Samuel What does the name Samuel mean? Samuel is a male name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "name of God", deriving from the Hebrew Shem (שֵׁם) + ʾĒl. However, from the explanation given in 1 Samuel 1:20, the name could alternatively come from a contraction of the Hebrew שְׁאִלְתִּיו מֵאֵל, meaning "I have asked/borrowed him from God". What is the origin of the name Samuel? Samuel has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Jewish, Amharic, Biblical, Hungarian. How popular is Samuel in 2026? In 2026, Samuel ranks #20 among boys' names in the U.S., with 8,112 babies given the name that year. When was Samuel most popular? Samuel reached its peak popularity in 2001, ranking #17 that year with 14,813 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Samuel most popular? Samuel has historically been most popular in Idaho, Minnesota, Montana. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Samuel. Is Samuel a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Samuel is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name. What names go well with Samuel? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Samuel include Clarence, Hudson, Louis. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Samuel? Common variants and related forms of Samuel include Sam, Sami, Sammie, Sammy, Samppa, Samu. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names [👧LauraleePeak #1760](/lauralee)[👧KennethaPeak #1760](/kennetha)[👧MaylaPeak #1760](/mayla)[👧MinhaPeak #1760](/minha)[👧BerkeleyPeak #1761](/berkeley)[👧SharnicePeak #1761](/sharnice)[👧LucaPeak #1759](/luca)[👧NahomiPeak #1761](/nahomi) ## About the name Samuel Samuel is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 828K births in the dataset. Samuel's peak popularity came in 2001 when it ranked #17\. Use the chart and map above to compare Samuel's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2001 → ](/year/2001) * [ Names of the 2000s → ](/decade/2000s) * [ Names starting with "S" → ](/letter/s) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.