Samuel
Meaning: “Heard by God; name of God”
About the name Samuel
Samuel is a boy name with Hebrew roots, meaning “Heard by God; name of God”.
It has a classic feel. In 2025, Samuel ranked #18 for boys in the US, with 8,334 babies given the name. Its peak year since 1940 was 2001. Since 2000, 100% of US babies named Samuel were boys.
Etymology
From Biblical Hebrew, meaning literally “'God has set' or 'God has placed'”.
Name meaning adapted from Wiktionary (“Samuel”) by Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- US rank 2025
- #18
- In 2015
- #23
- Babies in 2025
- 8,334
Popularity of Samuel, 1940–2025
Latest SSA data: 2025.
Popularity data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby names (public domain; names given to at least 5 babies of one sex per year).
Nicknames for Samuel
- Sam
- Sammy
Names similar to Samuel
Name meanings marked or linked “Wiktionary” are adapted from Wiktionary by Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; each name page links its source entry.