Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Samuel

Say it SAM-yoo-ul 3 syllables

Hebrew · “'God has set' or 'God has placed'”

Common across France, the UK, Italy, and 25 more places. Rare in Poland, Israel, Slovenia, and 1 more place.

1 in 354 boys born in England and Wales in 2025. Number 66 there.

Samuel in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 0, common in 30, rare in 4.
Samuel in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales66 (down)20257681 in 354472020
Scotland65 (up)2025711 in 277802020
Northern Ireland69 (up)2025341 in 244822020
Ireland76 (down)2025781 in 304672020
North America
Ontario (province)36 (down)2024245about 1 in 244352019
Quebec (province)46 (down)2025125about 1 in 232232020
British Columbia (province)44 (down)202355about 1 in 237312018
Nova Scotia (province)14 (new in the list)202521Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)38 (down)2025165322020
Victoria (state)49 (down)2025131422020
Queensland (state)412025112412020
South Australia (state)45 (down)202534382020
New Zealand54 (down)202565492020
Western Europe
France70 (down)20258551 in 354452020
Netherlands60 (up)2025254about 1 in 262902020
Central Europe
Austria22 (down)20253181 in 120202020
Switzerland19 (down)20251761 in 205112020
Berlin (city)36 (up)202373about 1 in 212532018
Munich (city)21 (down)202549about 1 in 89122020
Cologne (city)51 (down)202322about 1 in 290452018
Bonn (city)26 (up)202516about 1 in 198382020
Leipzig (city)30 (up)202514about 1 in 205802020
Rostock (city)172 (new in the list)20251about 1 in 1,047Not listed2020
Nordic countries
Norway74 (down)2025931 in 250502020
Sweden78 (up)2025137about 1 in 315822020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
Finland242025137No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
Spain43 (down)2024696412019
Catalonia (region)68 (up)2025721 in 288722020
Italy45 (down)20248391 in 226412019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland101 (down)20251691 in 748972020
Hungary (as Sámuel)892025101892020
Slovenia223 (up)20256about 1 in 1,2062332020
Estonia22 (new in the list)202538Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
Israel (published as סמואל)635 (up)202411about 1 in 7,7366482019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. Israel publishes names in Hebrew script; the original is shown beside the name. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Samuel was the name of the biblical prophet. It comes from the Hebrew šəmûʾēl, meaning 'God has set' or 'God has placed'. In the First Book of Samuel, the name is also connected with the phrase 'asked from God'.

2 more paragraphs

Three syllables, SAM-yoo-ul, give it a warm, gentle sound, with Sam as the obvious short form. Accented spellings such as Samúel and Sámuel are also used, and related names include Samuele, Shmuel and Samuli.

Samuel is well liked in Switzerland, Austria and Estonia and holds a place in the lists for Ontario, New South Wales and Queensland. French records show a peak in the late 1970s. Its trend is mixed, with some places rising and slightly more falling.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
SAM-yoo-ul · 3 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 3.
Meaning
“'God has set' or 'God has placed'”
Origin
Hebrew
Spellings counted
Counted together with Samuel here: Samúel, Sámuel.
Related names
Sam, Samuele, Shmuel, Samuell, Samiilo, Samuil, Samuli, Sammuel, Saamuel, Sámal, Samoël, Kamuela, Samuela, Samūēlis, Samuelis
Where Samuel comes from (Wiktionary)

From Latin Samuēl, from Ancient Greek Σαμουήλ (Samouḗl), from Biblical Hebrew שְׁמוּאֵל (šəmûʾēl, literally “'God has set' or 'God has placed'”). Taken to mean a contraction of popular folk etymology שְׁאִלְתִּיו מֵאֵל (“I have asked/borrowed him from God”) (Modern: Šəʾīltīv mēʾĒl, Tiberian: Šĭʾīltīw mēʾĒl) by way of שָׁאוּל מֵאֵל (“asked/borrowed from God”) from 1 Samuel 1:20.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Samuel. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Samuel over time

Rising in 4 of the 30 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 6. Peak in France: 1979.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Samuel in England and Wales: #9 in 1996, a peak of #6 in 2004, and #66 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #9, 6,161 boys1997: #7, 6,367 boys1998: #7, 6,072 boys1999: #7, 6,123 boys2000: #8, 5,800 boys2001: #7, 5,259 boys2002: #7, 5,067 boys2003: #8, 4,970 boys2004: #6, 5,570 boys2005: #7, 5,219 boys2006: #8, 4,844 boys2007: #11, 4,825 boys2008: #11, 4,624 boys2009: #12, 4,314 boys2010: #14, 4,144 boys2011: #15, 3,803 boys2012: #15, 3,499 boys2013: #20, 3,188 boys2014: #21, 3,021 boys2015: #23, 2,705 boys2016: #24, 2,413 boys2017: #29, 2,083 boys2018: #33, 1,788 boys2019: #41, 1,540 boys2020: #47, 1,261 boys2021: #56, 1,123 boys2022: #60, 987 boys2023: #62, 878 boys2024: #60, 857 boys2025: #66, 768 boys#9 in 1996peak #6, 2004#66in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
199696,161
199776,367
199876,072
199976,123
200085,800
200175,259
200275,067
200384,970
200465,570
200575,219
200684,844
2007114,825
2008114,624
2009124,314
2010144,144
2011153,803
2012153,499
2013203,188
2014213,021
2015232,705
2016242,413
2017292,083
2018331,788
2019411,540
2020471,261
2021561,123
202260987
202362878
202460857
202566768

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in France

Half of the boys named Samuel in France since 1925 were born in or after 1996. Peak: 1979, about 596 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 17.9 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 18.5 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 16.5 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 8.9 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 9 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 9.5 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 14.9 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 32.5 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 98.9 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 363.5 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 544.3 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 475.6 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 382.4 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 328.8 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 393.8 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 494.3 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 457.1 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 429 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 426.4 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 348.7 per 100,000 boys20202025: 282.5 per 100,000 boys20251975-1979: about 1 in 184 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–192917.9
1930–193418.5
1935–193916.5
1940–19448.9
1945–19499
1950–19549.5
1955–195914.9
1960–196432.5
1965–196998.9
1970–1974363.5
1975–1979544.3
1980–1984475.6
1985–1989382.4
1990–1994328.8
1995–1999393.8
2000–2004494.3
2005–2009457.1
2010–2014429
2015–2019426.4
2020–2024348.7
2025282.5

Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Samuel

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Samuel, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 290, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 136, Northern Ireland

  3. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 255, Scotland

  5. 1 in 178, Austria

  6. 1 in 208, Ireland

  7. 1 in 130, Scotland

  8. 1 in 25, Poland

  9. 1 in 204, England and Wales

  10. 1 in 289, Ireland

All 40 brother names for Samuel

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Samuel's 3 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 50, Ireland

  2. 1 in 187, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 118, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 105, Ireland

  6. 1 in 130, Scotland

  7. 1 in 67, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 136, Northern Ireland

Full-name check

Samuel Jack

Syllables 3-1Initials S.J.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Samuel

Sisters for Samuel: Sarah, Hannah, Eva, and 5 more
  1. SarahRose and fell with Samuel · Same generation as Samuel · Same initial as Samuel
  2. HannahRose and fell with Samuel · As common as Samuel
  3. EvaRose and fell with Samuel · As common as Samuel
  4. IsabellaRose and fell with Samuel · Hebrew, like Samuel
  5. MayaRose and fell with Samuel · As common as Samuel
  6. AliceRose and fell with Samuel · Same generation as Samuel
  7. EmilyRose and fell with Samuel · Same generation as Samuel
  8. ClaraRose and fell with Samuel · As common as Samuel

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Samuel

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Samuel's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Common across the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, and 9 more places.

  2. Loved across France, the UK, Canada, and 16 more places.

  3. Common in England and Wales, the Netherlands, Sweden, and 21 more places.

  4. Common across the UK, the Netherlands, three Nordic countries, and 17 more places.

  5. Common across the UK, Italy, Poland, and 23 more places.

  6. Common in England and Wales, Italy, Poland, and 17 more places.

  7. Rare across France, the UK, three Canadian provinces, and 13 more places.

  8. Common across the UK, Italy, Poland, and 19 more places.

Famous people named Samuel

Samuel Beckett, Samuel Johnson, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Samuel

How popular is Samuel in Ontario?

Samuel ranked #36 in Ontario in 2024, given to 245 boys, about 1 in 244.

Is Samuel rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 4 of the 30 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 6. Rising in: Rostock, Leipzig, Slovenia, and Netherlands.

What does Samuel mean?

Samuel means “'God has set' or 'God has placed'”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Samuel have?

Samuel has 3 syllables: SAM-yoo-ul.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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