Samuel
Samuel sits comfortably in the UK charts at #66 in 2025 — recognisable but not overwhelming. Your child may occasionally share their name.
Hebrew — God has heard
About the Name Samuel
Samuel ranked #66 in 2025, down from its peak of #6 in 2004 — still a familiar name, but past its high point. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996. It has spent 30 of the last 30 years inside the UK top 100 — a mark of enduring mainstream appeal.
In terms of origin, Samuel is rooted in Hebrew, where it means "God has heard". Names with strong etymological stories tend to age well — they carry weight beyond fashion cycles.
Samuel is a very popular name in the UK — yet a class of 28 is small enough that your child will very likely be the only Samuel on the register.
In the US it ranks even higher at #17, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
⭐ Famous People Named Samuel
- Benedict Samuel — Benedict Victor Samuel is an Australian actor, writer, and director best known for playing Jervis Tetch / Mad Hatter in the Fox crime series Gotham and as Owen in The Walking Dead.
- Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel — Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel was a British politician who served as the leader of the Liberal Party from 1931 to 1935.
- Samuel Johnson — Samuel Johnson, often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer (creator of dictionaries).
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Samuel
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Samuel
Almost certainly the only Samuel in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2025)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Samuel
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
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Famous People Named Samuel
Notable people who share this name, from history to the present day. See full list on Wikipedia