Samuel
MeaningGod has heard · Hebrew
- US rank
- #18
- Syllables
- 2
- Peak
- #17 in 2024
8,334 babies were named Samuel in the US in 2025. It has climbed 7 places in five years.
Nicknames & spellings
Found on lists
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million boys, 1880–2025
Most popular states (2025)
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Samuel you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Samuel
Samuel Johnson
English writer and lexicographer (1709–1784)
Choose Samuel and your child shares a first name with Samuel Johnson, an English writer and lexicographer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Samuel, like who?” Samuel Johnson's Wikipedia article is available in 134 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Samuel Johnson on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: Joshua Reynolds, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 205 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Samuel, 8,334 babies in all. In a school of 500 kids, there'd probably be one other Samuel.
- HistorySamuel has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Samuels, and counting.
- Best yearIts best year was 2024, when it reached #17.
- Where it's lovedSamuel is most popular in Alabama, where it ranks #7, followed by Washington (#9) and Washington, D.C. (#10). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
- MeaningIn Hebrew, Samuel means “God has heard”.
- OriginSamuel is the #9 most popular Hebrew boy name in the US. That's out of 1,099 Hebrew boy and unisex names in our list.
About the name Samuel
Samuel is a boy name of Hebrew origin meaning “God has heard”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with S and ending in “-uel”. US birth records list Samuel for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked #17 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #18, with 8,334 babies.
Origin:Hebrew names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 8,345 | 120 boys |
| 1890s | 6,899 | 145 boys |
| 1900s | 5,998 | 167 boys |
| 1910s | 5,346 | 187 boys |
| 1920s | 3,936 | 254 boys |
| 1930s | 3,043 | 329 boys |
| 1940s | 2,900 | 345 boys |
| 1950s | 2,670 | 375 boys |
| 1960s | 2,304 | 434 boys |
| 1970s | 2,920 | 342 boys |
| 1980s | 3,959 | 253 boys |
| 1990s | 6,468 | 155 boys |
| 2000s | 6,954 | 144 boys |
| 2010s | 5,745 | 174 boys |
| 2020s | 4,856 | 206 boys |
More Hebrew boy names
- Unisex name: Noah · rest, comfort
- Unisex name: James · supplanter
- Boy name: Elijah · my God is Yahweh
- Boy name: Mateo · gift of God
- Boy name: Benjamin · son of the right hand
- Boy name: Levi · joined, attached
- Unisex name: Elias · my God is Yahweh
- Boy name: Jack · God is gracious
Questions about the name Samuel
What does the name Samuel mean?
Samuel means “God has heard” in Hebrew.
What is the origin of the name Samuel?
Samuel has Hebrew roots in our records. Other Hebrew names include Noah, James, Elijah.
Is Samuel a boy or girl name?
Samuel is a boy name, though a few girls get it too.
How popular is the name Samuel?
Samuel ranked #18 for US boys in 2025, given to 8,334 babies. Its best year was 2024 (#17).