Shumel
Variant of the name Samuel, meaning "name of God" in Hebrew.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Shumel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shumel today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shumel births was 1996 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shumel. 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 Shumel. 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
#10,320
Tracked since 1996
Popularity
Shumel: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Shumel 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 Shumel 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 Shumel
The name Shumel has its origins in the ancient Semitic languages, particularly in the Phoenician and Aramaic cultures of the Middle East. This name can be traced back to around the 8th century BCE, when it was derived from the Proto-Semitic word "shmʿl," which roughly translates to "God has heard" or "heard by God."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shumel can be found in the ancient Phoenician city of Carthage, located in modern-day Tunisia. Historical records from this region suggest that Shumel was a common name among the Phoenician nobility and merchant class during the 6th and 5th centuries BCE.
In the religious context, the name Shumel appears in several ancient Aramaic texts, including the Targums, which are Aramaic translations of the Hebrew Bible. These texts mention individuals with the name Shumel, indicating its use among the Aramaic-speaking Jewish communities of the time.
One of the earliest known individuals named Shumel was a prominent Phoenician merchant who lived in the 5th century BCE. He was renowned for his extensive trade networks and his role in facilitating the exchange of goods between the Mediterranean region and the Middle East.
Another notable figure named Shumel was an Aramaic scholar and scribe who lived in the 3rd century BCE. He is credited with preserving and translating several ancient texts, contributing to the preservation of Aramaic literature and culture.
In the 1st century CE, there was a Jewish rebel named Shumel who participated in the Great Revolt against the Roman Empire. He was a prominent leader in the revolt and played a significant role in the early stages of the uprising.
During the Middle Ages, the name Shumel was occasionally used among Jewish communities in the Middle East and North Africa. One notable figure was Shumel ibn Gabirol, a renowned Jewish philosopher and poet who lived in the 11th century CE in Spain.
Another individual named Shumel was a Persian scholar and poet who lived in the 12th century CE. He was highly regarded for his contributions to Persian literature and is known for his influential works on poetry and philosophy.
People
Shumel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shumel 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
Shumel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shumel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shumel 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 Shumel a common name?
We classify Shumel 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 Shumel most popular?
The single biggest year for Shumel was 1996, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shumel 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 Shumel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shumel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shumel 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 Shumel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shumel 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 Shumel 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 Shumel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.