Gender:

Male

Meaning:

‘The name of God’ (from Hebrew Shemiel)

History & etymology:

The name Samuel have been borrowed into English (via Latin) from Hebrew Shemiel, from: shem ‘name’ and El ‘God’. It became a popular given name after the Protestant Reformation.

The famous bearer and the patron of the name was the Biblical Samuel. According to the Old Testament (Book of Samuel), he was born to his mother, Hannah, at a mature age. Hannah was unable to conceive for years while her husband’s other wife had children. One day Hannah prayed and made a promise to give her child to God’s service if she would be blessed with successful pregnancy. God listened to her prayers and she kept her promise by placing Samuel in a temple. When Samuel was still a young boy, God called him to become a prophet. As a grown-up man he became a judge and a respected man who anointed Saul and David to be the kings of Israel.

Samuel’s feast day is celebrated on 20th August.

Alternative spellings & nicknames:

Short form: Sam
Diminutives: Sammy, Sammie

Similar names in other languages & name days:

Austria
28th July: Samuel

Finland
20th August: Samuel, Samuli

France
20th August: Samuel

Germany
20th August, 10th October: Samuel

Italy
20th August: Samuele

Poland
20th August: Samuel

Spain
16th February: Samuel

Sweden
1st September: Samuel

USA
27th April: Samuel, Sam, Sammy

Famous people named Samuel:

Samuel Adams (1722 - 1803) - one of American Founding Fathers
Samuel Anderson (1982-) - English actor
Samuel Beckett (1906 - 1989) - Irish postmodern writer
Samuel Colt (1814 - 1862) - American scientist, inventor of the Colt revolver
Samuel De Champlain (1574 - 1635) - French explorer
Samuel Eto’o (1981-) - Cameroonian football player
Samuel Goldwyn (1879 - 1974) - Polish-American film producer
Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784) - English writer
Samuel L. Jackson (1948-) - American actor
Samuel Larsen (1991-) - American singer and actor
Samuel Morse (1791 - 1872) - American scientist, inventor of the Morse code
Samuel Nascimiento (1990-) - Brazilian actor
Samuel Pepys (1633 - 1703) - English Member of Parliament
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 - 1834) - English poet
Samuel Vincent (1971-) - Canadian voice actor
Samuel E. Wright (1946-) - American singer

Fun facts:

Popularity (2015)

USA: 23rd
England and Wales: 23rd
Canada: 21st
Australia: 13th
New Zealand: 16th
Ireland: 41st
Northern Ireland: 47th      
Scotland: 39th

Chile: 68th
Finland: 35th
France: 43rd
Italy: 41st
Mexico: 49th
Netherlands: 69th
Norway: 76th
Portugal: 47th
Spain: 36th
Sweden: 74th

Lucky colors: blue, violet, black
Lucky stone: Opal
Ruling planet: Uranus
Characteristics: materialistic, practical, down-to-earth, rational, logical