Shemuel

Meaning of Shemuel

Shemuel originates from the Hebrew שְׁמוּאֵל (Šəmûʼēl), a theophoric formation combining שֵׁם (shem, “name”) and אֵל (ʼēl, “God”), and thus conveys the dual sense of “Name of God” and “Heard by God.” In both its original Hebrew pronunciation (/ʃɛ.muˈɛl/) and its Anglo-American rendering (/ˈʃɛm.ju.əl/), the name exhibits remarkable morphophonemic stability, reflecting a direct transliteration rather than a later adaptation. Historical usage is rooted in Judaic scripture, where Shemuel appears as an orthographic variant of the prophet Samuel, and it has maintained a consistent, if infrequent, presence in modern American naming patterns. Examination of Social Security Administration data from 1993 to 2024 reveals annual occurrences ranging from five to eleven male births, with ranks oscillating between 773 (1993) and 936 (2022), settling at 919 in 2024. This statistical profile underscores Shemuel’s status as a deliberate, low-frequency choice, favored by parents seeking a name of precise theological resonance and enduring linguistic authenticity, unswayed by transient naming fashions.

Pronunciation

Hebrew

• Pronunced as sheh-MOO-el (/ʃɛ.muˈɛl/)

English

• Pronunced as SHEM-yoo-el (/ˈʃɛm.ju.əl/)

• Samuel
• Shem
• Shemar
• Samuele