2000
#1,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,422
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.57
Uncommon Last name
Samuels
A patronymic surname derived from the Biblical male given name Samuel, meaning "name of God" or "God has heard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,821 Americans carry the last name Samuels. That puts it at #1,558 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,274 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Samuels 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 Samuels with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,274
Census rank
#1,558
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,517 bearers of the surname Samuels in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1558th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Samuels, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.8%. The next largest groups are White (35.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Samuels
The surname Samuels has its origins in the Middle Ages, deriving from the Hebrew personal name Samuel, meaning "name of God" or "heard by God." The name is believed to have originated in the Middle East, likely in ancient Israel, and was later carried to various parts of Europe by Jewish communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Samuels can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, England, from the year 1195, where a certain Samuel de Gloucestre is mentioned. This indicates that the name had already taken root in England by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the surname Samuels appears in various records across Europe, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in England (1275), where a William Samuels is listed. During this period, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Samuell, Samwell, and Samwyll.
The name Samuels has also been linked to certain place names, such as Samuelston in Scotland and Samuelsdorf in Germany, suggesting that some individuals with this surname may have taken their names from these locations or vice versa.
Notable individuals with the surname Samuels throughout history include:
1. Sir Philip Samuels (1592-1654), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1644.
2. Ralph Samuels (1696-1764), an English philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of optics.
3. Nathaniel Samuels (1768-1842), an American Revolutionary War soldier and farmer from Massachusetts.
4. Mary Samuels (1827-1902), an English philanthropist and social reformer who worked to improve the living conditions of factory workers.
5. Walter Samuels (1870-1936), an Australian cricketer who played Test matches for the national team in the late 19th century.
The surname Samuels has been carried across continents by various waves of migration, and it is now found in many countries around the world, particularly in areas with significant Jewish or Christian populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Samuels
Among Census respondents with the surname Samuels, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.8%. The next largest groups are White (35.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Samuels 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 Samuels surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American53.8% · 12,116
- White35.1% · 7,912
- Two or more races4.6% · 1,035
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 1,022
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 239
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 193
Timeline
Historical Census data for Samuels
Samuels 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
#1,621
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,207
+1,785 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 7.53
Rank movement Down 10 places
2020
#1,558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,517
+310 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 7.53
Rank movement Up 63 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,611 | 20,422 | 7.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,621 | 22,207 | 7.53 | +1,785 bearers (+8.7%) | Down 10 places |
| 2020 | #1,558 | 22,517 | 7.53 | +310 bearers (+1.4%) | Up 63 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 Samuels 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 | #1,621 | #1,558 | 3.9% |
| Count | 22,207 | 22,517 | 1.4% |
| Per 100K | 7.53 | 7.53 | 0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Samuels bearers went from 22,207 to 22,517 (+1.4% change). The surname moved up 63 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,621 to #1,558.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Samuels
FAQ
Samuels surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Samuels?
Name Census estimates that about 25,821 living Americans carry the surname Samuels. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,274 residents.
How common is Samuels?
Samuels ranks #1,558 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.53 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 22,517 people with the surname Samuels. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,821), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.53 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 Samuels.
Has Samuels become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Samuels went from 22,207 recorded bearers to 22,517. That is an increase of 310 (+1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,621 to #1,558.
What does the Census say about the background of Samuels?
Among Census respondents with the surname Samuels, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.8%. The next largest groups are White (35.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Samuels in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.8% (12,116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Samuels appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (53.8%), White (35.1%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Samuels (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 Samuels mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the Biblical male given name Samuel, 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 Samuels (7.53 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 Americans have the surname Samuels?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.