Shaul
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "asked for" or "desired".
Name Census estimates that about 694 living Americans carry the first name Shaul. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shaul today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shaul births was 2021 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shaul. 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
694
~ 1 in 493,882 Americans
Peak year
2021
33 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,395
Tracked since 1973
Popularity
Shaul: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shaul from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 237 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Shaul remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shaul 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 Shaul during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shauls live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shaul
The name Shaul has its origins in the Hebrew language, tracing back to ancient times in the Middle East. The name is derived from the Hebrew word "sha'ul," which means "asked for" or "demanded." The earliest known use of the name dates back to biblical times, where it appears as the name of the first king of the united Kingdom of Israel, Saul.
Saul, also known as Shaul, is a prominent figure in the Hebrew Bible, especially in the books of Samuel. He was anointed as king by the prophet Samuel around 1020 BCE and reigned over Israel until his death in battle against the Philistines around 1000 BCE. Saul's story and his complex relationship with the future King David are extensively documented in the biblical narrative.
Another historical figure who bore the name Shaul was Rabbi Shaul, also known as Paul the Apostle, who lived in the first century CE. He was a Jewish-Roman scholar and one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, responsible for spreading Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. His writings and teachings form a significant part of the New Testament.
In the Middle Ages, the name Shaul was used by several notable Jewish scholars and rabbis. One example is Shaul ben Isaac Astruk ha-Levi, a prominent 14th-century Spanish rabbi and philosopher who lived in Barcelona.
Moving forward in history, Shaul Mofaz, born in 1948, is an Israeli politician and former military leader who served as the 16th Prime Minister of Israel for a brief period in 2022.
Another notable figure with the name Shaul is Shaul Ladany, born in 1936, a Israeli Olympic walker and Holocaust survivor. He is known for his remarkable achievements in race walking and his resilience in overcoming the trauma of the Holocaust.
While the name Shaul has its roots in the Hebrew language and culture, it has been adopted and used in various forms across different regions and languages. The name carries a rich historical and cultural significance, particularly within the Jewish and Christian traditions.
People
Shaul + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shaul 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
Shaul: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shaul?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 694 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shaul 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 493,882 US residents.
Is Shaul a common name?
We classify Shaul as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 706 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shaul most popular?
The single biggest year for Shaul was 2021, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shaul is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shaul a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shaul 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.