Samuel
Meaning of Samuel
Samuel springs from the ancient Hebrew Sh’mu’el, meaning “God has heard,” and for generations the name has carried the hush of a heartfelt wish come true. Spoken as SAH-moo-el in Hebrew or the more familiar SAM-yoo-ul in English, it glides off the tongue with a steady, reassuring cadence. History paints it in bold strokes—from the biblical prophet who guided Israel’s first kings, to quill-master Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), Revolutionary rabble-rouser Samuel Adams, and cinematic powerhouse Samuel L. Jackson—so a child who bears it joins a lively league of storytellers, trailblazers, and truth-tellers. In the United States, Samuel has hovered dependably near the Top 25 for two straight decades, proof that classic style never loses its shine. Warm yet weighty, formal yet ready to flip its cap to friendly Sam, this is a name that listens first, speaks wisely, and always manages to feel like home.
Pronunciation
Hebrew
- Pronunced as SAH-moo-el (/sɑmuːˈel/)
American English
- Pronunced as SAM-yoo-ul (/ˈsæm.ju.l̩/)
British English
- Pronunced as SAM-yoo-ul (/ˈsam.ju.əl/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Samuel
| Samuel Leroy Jackson is a celebrated American actor whose films have grossed over 27 billion worldwide, making him the highest grossing actor ever, and he received the 2022 Academy Honorary Award. |
| Samuel Colt was an American inventor and industrialist who founded the Colt firearms company and pioneered mass produced revolvers. |
| Samuel Morse was an American painter turned inventor who co-developed Morse code and advanced the single wire telegraph into commercial use. |
| American serial killer Samuel Little was convicted of eight murders, confessed to 93, had at least 60 victims confirmed by the FBI, the most in American history, and sketched 26 of his victims not all linked to known cases. |
| Samuel C. C. Ting - Samuel Ting is a Taiwanese American physicist and 1976 Nobel laureate for the discovery of the J psi particle and an MIT professor. |
| Samuel Curtis Johnson Jr. was an American businessman who, as the fourth-generation leader of SC Johnson, transformed a small wax company into a global consumer brand and championed philanthropy and environmental stewardship. |
| Samuel Sánchez - Samuel Samu Sanchez Gonzalez is a Spanish former professional road cyclist and 2008 Olympic road race champion, celebrated for his descending and hilly race skills, with multiple top Tour de France and Vuelta finishes and wins including the 2010 Vuelta a Burgos, 2012 Tour of the Basque Country, and five Vuelta stages. |
| Sir Samuel White Baker was an English explorer and abolitionist who held Ottoman titles of Pasha and Major General and governed the Equatorial Nile Basin from 1869 to 1873, founding the Province of Equatoria. |
| Samuel Goldwyn was a Polish-born American film pioneer who produced the first major motion picture in the United States, helped found major studios, and received the Irving G Thalberg Award 1947, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award 1958, and the Golden Globe Cecil B DeMille Award 1973. |
| Samuel Greg was an Irish born industrial pioneer who built Quarry Bank Mill, fostered a model village for his workers, and also owned a slave plantation in the West Indies. |
| Samuel Steel Blair served as a Republican U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania. |
| Samuel ibn Naghrillah - Shmuel HaNagid was an 11th century Jewish statesman, general, scholar, and poet who served as grand vizier of Granada and became one of the most influential Jews in medieval Spain. |
| Samuel Stehman Haldeman was an American naturalist and philologist who explored and taught geology, conchology, entomology, and language, often shifting fields over his career. |
| Samuel Huntington was a Connecticut Founding Father who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, led the Continental Congress, and later served as Connecticut governor until his death, becoming the first United States governor to die in office. |
| Samuel Hubbard Scudder was a leading American entomologist and paleontologist who founded insect paleontology in the United States and was an authority on butterflies and grasshoppers. |
