Amuel
Hebrew name meaning "obedient and faithful servant of God".
Name Census estimates that about 18 living Americans carry the first name Amuel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Amuel today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Amuel births was 1983 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Amuel. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Amuel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
18
~ 1 in 19,041,908 Americans
Peak year
1983
8 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
1989 SSA rank
#7,963
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Amuel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Amuel from the 1910s through to the 1980s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 18 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Amuel by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Amuel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Amuel
The given name Amuel is believed to have originated from the Hebrew language, with its roots traced back to ancient times. The name is thought to be derived from the Hebrew word "am," meaning "people" or "nation," combined with the suffix "-el," which signifies "God." Thus, the name Amuel could be interpreted as "God's people" or "people of God."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Amuel can be found in the Bible, specifically in the Book of Genesis. Amuel was the name of one of the sons of Nahor, Abraham's brother. This reference dates back to approximately the 18th century BC, during the patriarchal era of the Old Testament.
Throughout history, the name Amuel has been borne by several notable individuals. One such figure was Amuel Ben Sheshna, a renowned Jewish scholar and philosopher who lived in Spain during the 12th century AD. He was known for his contributions to the field of Jewish mysticism and his interpretations of the Kabbalah.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Amuel de la Roche, a French nobleman and military leader who lived during the 13th century AD. He played a significant role in the Crusades and was celebrated for his bravery and strategic skills on the battlefield.
In the 16th century, Amuel Blanckart was a Dutch botanist and physician who made significant contributions to the study of medicinal plants and their properties. His work, "De Viribus Herbarum" (On the Powers of Plants), published in 1567, became an influential text in the field of herbal medicine.
During the 18th century, Amuel Johnson was an English writer and lexicographer who is best known for his monumental work, "A Dictionary of the English Language," published in 1755. His dictionary played a crucial role in establishing standardized spellings and definitions for the English language.
While the name Amuel has its roots in ancient Hebrew culture, it has been adopted and used across various regions and civilizations throughout history. The individuals mentioned above represent just a few examples of the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments associated with this name over the centuries.
People
Amuel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Amuel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Amuel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Amuel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 18 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Amuel going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 19,041,908 US residents.
Is Amuel a common name?
We classify Amuel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 38.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 28 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Amuel most popular?
The single biggest year for Amuel was 1983, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Amuel is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Amuel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Amuel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Amuel in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Amuel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Amuel in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Amuel can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Amuel as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.