Samuael
God has heard; name of Hebrew origin denoting "ask of God".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Samuael. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Samuael today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Samuael births was 1996 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Samuael. 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 Samuael. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1996
5 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
1996 SSA rank
#10,259
Tracked since 1996
Popularity
Samuael: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Samuael 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 Samuael during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Samuael
The name Samuael is derived from the Hebrew name Samuel, which means "name of God" or "God has heard." It is rooted in the ancient Semitic languages spoken in the Middle East and can be traced back to the biblical figure Samuel, who was an important prophet and judge in ancient Israel.
The earliest known record of the name Samuel is found in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the Books of Samuel, which are believed to have been written around the 7th century BCE. In these books, Samuel is portrayed as a pivotal figure who anointed both Saul and David as kings of Israel.
One of the most famous bearers of the name Samuel was the biblical prophet himself, who lived during the 11th century BCE. He played a crucial role in the transition from the period of judges to the establishment of the monarchy in ancient Israel.
Throughout history, several other notable individuals have borne the name Samuael or its variations. One example is Samuel de Champlain (1567-1635), a French explorer and navigator who founded the city of Quebec and is known as the "Father of New France."
Another prominent figure was Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), an English writer, critic, and lexicographer who authored the influential "A Dictionary of the English Language" and various other literary works.
In the realm of music, Samuel Barber (1910-1981) was an American composer renowned for his compositions, including the Adagio for Strings and the opera Vanessa.
Samuael Morse (1791-1872) was an American inventor and painter who contributed significantly to the development of the telegraph and the Morse code, which revolutionized long-distance communication.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an influential American writer and humorist who authored classics such as "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."
While the name Samuael has its roots in ancient Hebrew and biblical traditions, it has been adopted and adapted across various cultures and languages throughout history, reflecting the enduring influence of the name's original meaning and significance.
People
Samuael + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Samuael as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Samuael: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Samuael?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Samuael 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Samuael a common name?
We classify Samuael as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Samuael most popular?
The single biggest year for Samuael was 1996, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Samuael is about 29 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 Samuael in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Samuael a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Samuael 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 Samuael still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Samuael 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 Samuael 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 the name Samuael?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.