Samuel
2025 SSA
2025 SSA
About Samuel
Samuel has been so popular for so long that it's hard to believe it's still climbing, ranking in the US Top 20, just as it did all the way back in the 1880s. Friendly, solid, and versatile, it has never left the US Top 100, its low-point occurring in the 60s when it ranked at #91.
Propelled up the charts by the likability of the easy-going and unisex nicknames Sam and Sammy, the Biblical name also appears near the top of the rankings in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czechia, the Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Puerto Rico, Quebec, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Derived from the Hebrew Shemu'el, meaning "told by God", the name appears in the Old Testament, borne by 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.
As to be expected with such a popular choice, Samuel is pronounced in a number of different ways, depending on language, accent, and dialect. In English, it can be SAM-yuhl or occasionally SAM-yoo-uhl. In French, it's SAH-MWEHL, in German ZAH-mwehl and in Spanish sah-MWEHL. In Dutch, it would be SAH-muy-ehl, in Portuguese su-moo-EHL or sah-moo-EW and in Polish sah-MOO-ehl. In Czeck, Slovak and Finnish, it is said SAH-moo-ehl while in Swedish, it would be SA-moo-ehl.
Love Samuel but want something a little less popular? You could try Samson, Saul, Samsa, Solomon, Ransom, Sasha, Amias, Bram, or Ambrose.
Samuel is also given to girls, where it ranks #11753 in the US.
Pronounced SAM-yoo-ul.
As of October 2026, Samuel ranked #18 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #17 in 1880, Nameberry popularity #89.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · boys | Births · boys | US rank · girls | Births · girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #23 | 11,024 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #23 | 10,900 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #21 | 10,615 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #21 | 10,447 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #21 | 9,850 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #22 | 9,321 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #25 | 8,585 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #23 | 8,573 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #19 | 8,414 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #19 | 8,019 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #17 | 8,310 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #18 | 8,334 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Samuel.
Samuel on lists
Famous Samuels
- SamuelBoy
father of Abiah, of the tribe of Levi (1 Chr. 6:28)
- Samuel GortonBoy
American settler and civic leader in Rhode Island
- Samuel JohnsonBoy
English poet and author
- Samuel AdamsBoy
American revolutionary leader
- Samuel "Sam" HoustonBoy
American politician, 7th governor of Texas
- Samuel Finley Breese MorseBoy
American inventor
- Samuel Langhorne ClemensBoy
birth name of Mark Twain, American novelist
- Samuel ColtBoy
American firearm inventor
- Samuel Chandler CraftsBoy
U.S. Senator and 12th Governor of Vermont
- Samuel Louis "Sam" WarnerBoy
Polish,American film producer of Warner Bros.
- Samuel Moore "Sam" WaltonBoy
American founder of Wal,Mart Stores
- Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr.Boy
American singer, actor, dancer
- Samuel Andrew "Sam" Donaldson Jr.Boy
American news anchor
- Samuel Pack "Sam" ElliottBoy
American actor
- Samuel Leroy JacksonBoy
American actor
- Samuel Alexander Joseph "Sam" WestBoy
English actor
- Samuel PepysBoy
English diarist and politician
- Samuel HearneBoy
English explorer
- Samuel Chao Chung TingBoy
American physicist and Nobel prize winner
- Samuel Barclay BeckettBoy
Irish novelist and playwright
- Samuel John Everett "Sam" LoxtonBoy
Australian cricketer
- Samuel Eto'o (Fils)Boy
Cameroonian footballer
- Samuel Jackson "Sam" SneadBoy
American golfer
- Samuel BarnettBoy
English actor
- Samuel "Sam" Shepard (Rogers)Boy
American playwright and actor
- Samuel Henry John "Sam" WorthingtonBoy
Australian actor
- Samuel Atkinson "Sam" WaterstonBoy
American actor
- Samuel Michael "Sam" SimonBoy
American TV producer and director
- Samuel "Sam" RockwellBoy
American actor
- Samuel "Sam" CookeBoy
American singer,songwriter
- Samuel Dale "Sam" BrownbackBoy
American politician, governor of Kansas
- Samuel M "Sam" RaimiBoy
American film director and writer
- David Samuel "Sam" PeckinpahBoy
American film director
- Samuel Alexander "Sam" MendesBoy
English stage and film director
- Samuel CohenBoy
birth name of Sammy Cahn, American songwriter
- Samuel Roy "Sammy" HagarBoy
leader singer of American band Van Halen
- Samuel Kelvin "Sammy" Peralta SosaBoy
Dominican baseball player
- Samuel E. FeinbergBoy
birth name of Sammy Fain, American composer
- Samuel Anthony "Sam" MikulakBoy
American artistic gymnast
- Samuel Adrian "Sammy" BaughBoy
American football player
- Samuel Paul "Sammy" KershawBoy
American country music singer
- Samuel ZarnocayBoy
Jr., birth name of Sammy Kaye, American bandleader
- Samuel Baxter "Sammy" McIlroyBoy
Northern Irish footballer
- Samuel Lee "Sammy" GreenBoy
American football player
- Samuel de Luque aka Vegetta777Boy
Spanish YouTuber
- Samuel Kim ArredondoBoy
Korean,American pop singer based in South Korea; former member of the duo 1Punch
- Samuel UmtitiBoy
French professional footballer
- Samuel Ludwik TwardowskiBoy
Polish poet
- Samuel SeaburyBoy
American bishop and author
- Samuel "Sam" Irons (b. 1978)Boy
English actor and photographer; son of actors Jeremy Irons and Sinéad Cusack
- Samuel PatrickBoy
son of American actor Robert Patrick
- Samuel Wyatt Cohn (b. 2006)Boy
son of American television journalist Elizabeth Vargas
- Samuel Jason "Sammy" Black (b. 2006)Boy
son of actor/musician Jack Black
- Samuel Kai Schreiber (b. 2008)Boy
son of actors Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts
- Samuel Garner Affleck (b. 2012)Boy
son of actors Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck
- Samuel Hawke Turner (b. 2014)Boy
son of country music singer Josh Turner
- Samuel Joseph (b. 2016)Boy
son of Savannah Mooney of TV's "16 and Pregnant"
- Samuel Thomas Lowe (b.2016)Boy
son of reality TV personalities Sean and Catherine Lowe
- Samuel Scott Dillard (b.2017)Boy
son of reality TV stars Jill (Duggar) and Derick Dillard
- Samuel George "Sam" ClaflinBoy
English actor
Samuel in pop culture
- Samuel Llewellyn CornickBoy
character in Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs
- Samuel "Sam" DrakeBoy
character from the Uncharted game series
- Samuel "Sam" TempleBoy
main character in Michael Grant's Gone series
- Samuel "Sam" WinchesterBoy
character on TV's Supernatural
- Samuel "Sam" WhiskeyBoy
main character in the Transformers franchise
- Samuel "Sam/Quinn" QuinnBoy
character in the Blackwood Security series by Elise Noble
- Samuel OakBoy
Kanto professor in video game "Pokémon".
- Samuel "Sam" HealyBoy
character on TV series "Orange is the New Black"
- Samuel "Sam" AlexanderBoy
aka Nova, character from Marvel Universe
- Samuel Thomas "Sam" WilsonBoy
aka Falcon, character from Marvel Universe
- Samuel Zachary "Sam" GuthrieBoy
aka Cannonball, character from Marvel Universe
- Samuel "Sammy" LiebermanBoy
character on TV series "Dance Academy"
- Samuel Norbert AveryBoy
deceased son of April Kepner and Jackson Avery on "Grey's Anatomy"
- Samuel J. SullivanBoy
aka "Nugget", the main character from "The 5th Wave" book series by Rick Yancey
- Samuel Joseph "Sam" Scudder aka Mirror MasterBoy
character from DC Universe
- Samuel Ratchett aka Lenfranco CassettiBoy
character from Hercule Poirot series
- Samuel AdamsBoy
American beer brand named after the revolutionary
- Samual VanderboomBoy
character in Rusty Lake: Roots
- Samuel "Sam" MaloneBoy
main character in "Cheers"
- Samuel "Sam" RothBoy
character in Maggie Stiefvater's "Shiver" trilogy