Samuell
A masculine name derived from Hebrew, meaning "name of God" or "listened by God".
Name Census estimates that about 181 living Americans carry the first name Samuell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Samuell today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Samuell births was 1999 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Samuell. 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.
People living today
181
~ 1 in 1,893,670 Americans
Peak year
1999
11 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,682
Tracked since 1919
Popularity
Samuell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Samuell from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 64 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Samuell 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 Samuell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Samuells live
Origin
Meaning and history of Samuell
The given name Samuell has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, originating from the biblical name Samuel. The name is derived from the Hebrew words "shem'u'el," which mean "name of God" or "God has heard."
The name Samuel first appears in the Old Testament of the Bible, where Samuel was a prominent prophet and judge in ancient Israel. He is considered one of the most important figures in the transition from the period of the biblical judges to the establishment of the monarchy in Israel.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Samuel can be found in the Book of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible, which dates back to around the 11th century BCE. This book recounts the life and deeds of the prophet Samuel and his anointing of the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Samuel or its variations, including:
1. Samuel the Prophet (c. 1070 BCE - c. 1012 BCE), a prominent figure in the Hebrew Bible known for his role in the establishment of the Israelite monarchy.
2. Samuel Pepys (1633 - 1703), an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, best known for his extensive diaries that provide a vivid account of life in 17th-century London.
3. Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784), an English writer, poet, and one of the most influential literary figures of the 18th century, best known for his Dictionary of the English Language.
4. Samuel Morse (1791 - 1872), an American inventor and painter, renowned for his development of the Morse code and the telegraph system.
5. Samuel Clemens (1835 - 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, a celebrated American writer, humorist, and novelist, author of classics such as "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer."
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Samuel or its variations throughout history, spanning different cultures, time periods, and fields of expertise.
People
Samuell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Samuell 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
Samuell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Samuell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 181 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Samuell 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 1,893,670 US residents.
Is Samuell a common name?
We classify Samuell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 201 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Samuell most popular?
The single biggest year for Samuell was 1999, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Samuell is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Samuell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Samuell 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.
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.