Gender Masculine
Scripts שְׁמוּאֵל(Hebrew) ሳሙኤል(Amharic)
Pronounced Pron. SAM-yoo-əl(English) SAM-yəl(English) SA-MWEHL(French) ZA-mwehl(German) sa-MWEHL(Spanish) su-moo-EHL(European Portuguese) sa-moo-EW(Brazilian Portuguese) san-MOO-ehl(Polish) SA-moo-ehl(Czech, Slovak, Swedish) SAH-moo-ehl(Finnish)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

From the Hebrew name שְׁמוּאֵל (Shemu'el) meaning "name of God", from the roots שֵׁם (shem) meaning "name" and אֵל ('el) meaning "God". Other interpretations have the first root being שָׁמַע (shama') meaning "to hear" leading to a meaning of "God has heard". As told in the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament, Samuel was the last of the ruling judges. He led the Israelites during a period of domination by the Philistines, who were ultimately defeated in battle at Mizpah. Later he anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel, and even later anointed his successor David.

As a Christian name, Samuel came into common use after the Protestant Reformation. It has been consistently popular in the English-speaking world, ranking yearly in the top 100 names in the United States (as recorded since 1880) and performing similarly well in the United Kingdom.

Famous bearers include English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), American inventor Samuel Morse (1791-1872), Irish writer Samuel Beckett (1906-1989), and American actor Samuel L. Jackson (1948-). This was also the real name, Samuel Clemens, of the American author Mark Twain (1835-1910).

Related Names

VariantSamuli(Finnish)
DiminutivesSam, Sammie, Sammy(English) Samu(Spanish) Sami, Samppa, Samu(Finnish)
Other Languages & CulturesSamvel(Armenian) Samouel(Biblical Greek) Shemu'el(Biblical Hebrew) Samuhel(Biblical Latin) Samuil(Bulgarian) Samwel(Eastern African) Samuela(Fijian) Shmuel(Hebrew) Sámuel, Samu(Hungarian) Samuele(Italian) Samoil(Macedonian) Samuil(Russian) Sawyl(Welsh)
Surname DescendantsSamuel, Samuels, Samuelson(English) Samuel(French) Samuel(Jewish) Samuelsson(Swedish)
Same SpellingSámuel
User SubmissionsSamúel, Samùél, Samuèl, Samuël

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   upper class   natural   wholesome   strong   refined   simple   serious  

Name Days

Austria: October 10
Croatia: February 16
Croatia: August 20
Croatia: October 10
Czechia: September 1
Denmark: February 21
Finland: August 20
France: August 20
Norway: February 21
Poland: August 20
Romania: August 20
Slovakia: August 26
Spain: August 20
Sweden: September 1

Images

Samuel Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain) in 1909Samuel Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain) in 1909

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Entry updated June 9, 2023