Samuel

Hebrew
"told by God"

Samuel Origin and Meaning

The name Samuel is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "told by God".

Samuel has been so popular for so long that it's hard to believe it's still climbing, at its highest point since the 1890s.

This biblical name's popularity is somewhat propelled by the likability of the friendly nickname Sam, which returned to favor along with fellow former Grandpa names like Max and Gus. Sam is now often used on its own, for girls as well as boys.

Samuel is derived from the Hebrew name Shemu’el, meaning "told by God." In the Old Testament, Samuel was one of the great judges and prophets of the Israelites, destined for a holy life from birth. He established the Hebrew monarchy, anointing both Saul and David as kings.

High-profile celebs who have chosen Samuel for their sons include Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, Jack Black, and Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber, and Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys.

# 20 in the US

Samuel Rank in US Top 1000

# 98 on Nameberry

Samuel Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Samuel Popularity

Famous People Named Samuel

  • Samuel
    father of Abiah, of the tribe of Levi (1 Chr. 6:28)
  • Samuel Gorton
    American settler and civic leader in Rhode Island
  • Samuel Johnson
    English poet and author
  • Samuel Adams
    American revolutionary leader
  • Samuel "Sam" Houston
    American politician, 7th governor of Texas
  • Samuel Finley Breese Morse
    American inventor
  • Samuel Langhorne Clemens
    birth name of Mark Twain, American novelist
  • Samuel Colt
    American firearm inventor
  • Samuel Chandler Crafts
    U.S. Senator and 12th Governor of Vermont
  • Samuel Louis "Sam" Warner
    Polish,American film producer of Warner Bros.
  • Samuel Moore "Sam" Walton
    American founder of Wal,Mart Stores
  • Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr.
    American singer, actor, dancer
  • Samuel Andrew "Sam" Donaldson Jr.
    American news anchor
  • Samuel Pack "Sam" Elliott
    American actor
  • Samuel Leroy Jackson
    American actor
  • Samuel Alexander Joseph "Sam" West
    English actor
  • Samuel Pepys
    English diarist and politician
  • Samuel Hearne
    English explorer
  • Samuel Chao Chung Ting
    American physicist and Nobel prize winner
  • Samuel Barclay Beckett
    Irish novelist and playwright
  • Samuel John Everett "Sam" Loxton
    Australian cricketer
  • Samuel Eto'o (Fils)
    Cameroonian footballer
  • Samuel Jackson "Sam" Snead
    American golfer
  • Samuel Barnett
    English actor
  • Samuel "Sam" Shepard (Rogers)
    American playwright and actor
  • Samuel Henry John "Sam" Worthington
    Australian actor
  • Samuel Atkinson "Sam" Waterston
    American actor
  • Samuel Michael "Sam" Simon
    American TV producer and director
  • Samuel "Sam" Rockwell
    American actor
  • Samuel "Sam" Cooke
    American singer,songwriter
  • Samuel Dale "Sam" Brownback
    American politician, governor of Kansas
  • Samuel M "Sam" Raimi
    American film director and writer
  • David Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah
    American film director
  • Samuel Alexander "Sam" Mendes
    English stage and film director
  • Samuel Cohen
    birth name of Sammy Cahn, American songwriter
  • Samuel Roy "Sammy" Hagar
    leader singer of American band Van Halen
  • Samuel Kelvin "Sammy" Peralta Sosa
    Dominican baseball player
  • Samuel E. Feinberg
    birth name of Sammy Fain, American composer
  • Samuel Anthony "Sam" Mikulak
    American artistic gymnast
  • Samuel Adrian "Sammy" Baugh
    American football player
  • Samuel Paul "Sammy" Kershaw
    American country music singer
  • Samuel Zarnocay
    Jr., birth name of Sammy Kaye, American bandleader
  • Samuel Baxter "Sammy" McIlroy
    Northern Irish footballer
  • Samuel Lee "Sammy" Green
    American football player
  • Samuel de Luque aka Vegetta777
    Spanish YouTuber
  • Samuel Kim Arredondo
    Korean,American pop singer based in South Korea; former member of the duo 1Punch
  • Samuel Umtiti
    French professional footballer
  • Samuel Ludwik Twardowski
    Polish poet
  • Samuel Seabury
    American bishop and author
  • Samuel "Sam" Irons (b. 1978)
    English actor and photographer; son of actors Jeremy Irons and Sinéad Cusack
  • Samuel Patrick
    son of American actor Robert Patrick
  • Samuel Wyatt Cohn (b. 2006)
    son of American television journalist Elizabeth Vargas
  • Samuel Jason "Sammy" Black (b. 2006)
    son of actor/musician Jack Black
  • Samuel Kai Schreiber (b. 2008)
    son of actors Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts
  • Samuel Garner Affleck (b. 2012)
    son of actors Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck
  • Samuel Hawke Turner (b. 2014)
    son of country music singer Josh Turner
  • Samuel Joseph (b. 2016)
    son of Savannah Mooney of TV's "16 and Pregnant"
  • Samuel Thomas Lowe (b.2016)
    son of reality TV personalities Sean and Catherine Lowe
  • Samuel Scott Dillard (b.2017)
    son of reality TV stars Jill (Duggar) and Derick Dillard
  • Samuel George "Sam" Claflin
    English actor

Samuel in Pop Culture

  • Samuel Llewellyn Cornick
    character in Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs
  • Samuel "Sam" Drake
    character from the Uncharted game series
  • Samuel "Sam" Temple
    main character in Michael Grant's Gone series
  • Samuel "Sam" Winchester
    character on TV's Supernatural
  • Samuel "Sam" Whiskey
    main character in the Transformers franchise
  • Samuel "Sam/Quinn" Quinn
    character in the Blackwood Security series by Elise Noble
  • Samuel Oak
    Kanto professor in video game "Pokémon".
  • Samuel "Sam" Healy
    character on TV series "Orange is the New Black"
  • Samuel "Sam" Alexander
    aka Nova, character from Marvel Universe
  • Samuel Thomas "Sam" Wilson
    aka Falcon, character from Marvel Universe
  • Samuel Zachary "Sam" Guthrie
    aka Cannonball, character from Marvel Universe
  • Samuel "Sammy" Lieberman
    character on TV series "Dance Academy"
  • Samuel Norbert Avery
    deceased son of April Kepner and Jackson Avery on "Grey's Anatomy"
  • Samuel J. Sullivan
    aka "Nugget", the main character from "The 5th Wave" book series by Rick Yancey
  • Samuel Joseph "Sam" Scudder aka Mirror Master
    character from DC Universe
  • Samuel Ratchett aka Lenfranco Cassetti
    character from Hercule Poirot series
  • Samuel Adams
    American beer brand named after the revolutionary
  • Samual Vanderboom
    character in Rusty Lake: Roots
  • Samuel "Sam" Malone
    main character in "Cheers"
  • Samuel "Sam" Roth
    character in Maggie Stiefvater's "Shiver" trilogy