2000
#1,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,225
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.13
Uncommon Last name
Samuel
A surname of Hebrew origin meaning "name of God" or "God has heard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 28,228 Americans carry the last name Samuel. That puts it at #1,408 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,142 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Samuel surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Samuel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,142
Census rank
#1,408
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,616 bearers of the surname Samuel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1408th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Samuel, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.1%. The next largest groups are White (19.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (19.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Samuel
The surname Samuel originates from the Hebrew name Shemuel, meaning "name of God" or "heard by God." It is believed to have originated in ancient Israel, around the 11th century BC, during the period of the biblical judges.
The earliest known bearer of the name was the prophet Samuel, who lived in the late 11th century BC and played a crucial role in the establishment of the Hebrew monarchy. He is mentioned extensively in the Book of Samuel, one of the historical books of the Hebrew Bible.
The name Samuel can be found in various ancient texts and manuscripts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, which date back to the 3rd century BC. It is also mentioned in the Mishnah, a collection of rabbinical teachings compiled around 200 AD.
During the Middle Ages, the name Samuel was commonly found among Jewish communities across Europe and the Middle East. One notable bearer was Samuel Hannagid (993-1056), a celebrated Jewish scholar, poet, and statesman from Andalusian Spain.
As the name spread throughout Europe, it took on various spellings and variations, such as Samuels, Samwell, and Samuele, reflecting regional linguistic influences.
In England, the surname Samuel can be traced back to the 13th century, with records showing individuals bearing the name, such as William Samuel, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1221.
Notable individuals with the surname Samuel throughout history include:
1. Sir Marcus Samuel (1853-1927), a British businessman and the founder of the Shell Transport and Trading Company.
2. Adolphe Samuel (1824-1898), a French banker and philanthropist who played a significant role in the development of the Suez Canal project.
3. Herbert Louis Samuel (1870-1963), a British politician and diplomat who served as the first High Commissioner of Palestine from 1920 to 1925.
4. John Samuel (1572-1631), an English explorer and navigator who is credited with publishing one of the earliest descriptions of the Pacific Ocean.
5. Raphael Samuel (1934-1996), a British historian and pioneering scholar in the field of cultural studies.
While the surname Samuel has its roots in ancient Hebrew, it has been adopted and adapted by various cultures and communities around the world, reflecting the rich tapestry of human migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Samuel
Among Census respondents with the surname Samuel, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.1%. The next largest groups are White (19.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (19.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Samuel bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Samuel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American52.1% · 12,829
- White19.4% · 4,779
- Asian and Pacific Islander19.1% · 4,697
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 1,087
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,027
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 197
Timeline
Historical Census data for Samuel
Samuel appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,125
+3,900 bearers (+20.3%)
Per 100,000 7.84
Rank movement Up 153 places
2020
#1,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,616
+1,491 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 8.24
Rank movement Up 150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,711 | 19,225 | 7.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,558 | 23,125 | 7.84 | +3,900 bearers (+20.3%) | Up 153 places |
| 2020 | #1,408 | 24,616 | 8.24 | +1,491 bearers (+6.4%) | Up 150 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Samuel surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,558 | #1,408 | 9.6% |
| Count | 23,125 | 24,616 | 6.4% |
| Per 100K | 7.84 | 8.24 | 5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Samuel bearers went from 23,125 to 24,616 (+6.4% change). The surname moved up 150 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,558 to #1,408.
FAQ
Samuel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Samuel?
Name Census estimates that about 28,228 living Americans carry the surname Samuel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,142 residents.
How common is Samuel?
Samuel ranks #1,408 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,616 people with the surname Samuel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (28,228), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Samuel.
Has Samuel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Samuel went from 23,125 recorded bearers to 24,616. That is an increase of 1,491 (+6.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,558 to #1,408.
What does the Census say about the background of Samuel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Samuel, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.1%. The next largest groups are White (19.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (19.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Samuel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.1% (12,829 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Samuel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (52.1%), White (19.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (19.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Samuel (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Samuel mean?
A surname of Hebrew origin meaning "name of God" or "God has heard." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Samuel (8.24 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Samuel?
See how common the surname Samuel is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.