UK boy's name
Samuel
A masculine given name of Hebrew origin meaning "name of God" or "told by God".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Samuel is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Samuel popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #60, with 857 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1997, with 6,367 births.
This profile covers 108,505 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 13% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 115,287 living people in the UK are called Samuel. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Samuel ranked #60 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 857 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1997, when 6,367 boys were registered as Samuel.
- • Samuel ranks best in East of England in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #1 in 2010.
- • About 115,287 living people in the UK are estimated to have Samuel as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#60
2024
Births in 2024
857
Latest year
Peak year
1997
6,367 births
Estimated living
115,287
2026
Meaning
What does Samuel mean?
The name Samuel has Hebrew origins, derived from the Hebrew words "shama" meaning "to hear" and "el" meaning "God". It translates to "name of God" or "God has heard". The name dates back to around the 11th century BCE and was prominent in ancient Israel.
Samuel was the name of a celebrated biblical prophet and judge who played a pivotal role in anointing the first two kings of the Kingdom of Israel, Saul and David. The biblical book of Samuel is named after him and chronicles his life and deeds.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Samuel can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible, where the prophet Samuel is mentioned. In the New Testament, Samuel is also cited as a revered figure in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
Throughout history, the name Samuel has been borne by various notable individuals. One of the most famous was Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), an English writer, critic, and lexicographer best known for his seminal work, "A Dictionary of the English Language".
Another prominent Samuel was Samuel Clemens (1835-1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, an American writer and humorist renowned for his novels "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn".
In the realm of science, Samuel Morse (1791-1872) was an American inventor and artist who co-developed the Morse code and the telegraph system, revolutionizing long-distance communication.
Samuel Colt (1814-1862) was an American inventor and industrialist who revolutionized the firearms industry with his innovative revolver designs and manufacturing techniques.
Lastly, Samuel Goldwyn (1882-1974) was a Polish-American film producer and co-founder of Goldwyn Pictures, one of the most successful independent film studios in the early 20th century.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Samuel over time
The chart below shows babies named Samuel registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Samuel, the clearest high point is 1997. The latest England and Wales figure is 857 births in 2024, compared with 6,367 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Samuel by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Samuel was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #57 | 5,106 | 5 |
| 2010s | #24 | 28,184 | 10 |
| 2000s | #9 | 50,492 | 10 |
| 1990s | #8 | 24,723 | 4 |
Geography
Where Samuel is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Samuel. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Samuel ranks best in East of England in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #1 in 2010.
Across the UK
Samuel in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#69 in 2024
51 years of NRS records, 5,857 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#64 in 2024
28 years of NISRA records, 1,955 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Samuel
-
Samuel Zealey
sculptor
British sculptor
1986-
-
Samuel Joseph, 1st Baronet
politician
British politician (1888-1944)
1888-1944
-
Samuel Wyatt
architect
English architect
1737-1807
-
Samuel von Schmettau
military personnel; cartographer; marine draughtsman
Prussian field marshal (1684–1751)
1684-1751
-
Samuel Wright
English dissenting minister
1683-1746
Related
Names similar to Samuel
- Sebastian 33,008
- Sam 20,889
- Stanley 16,354
- Sonny 15,028
- Sean 15,006
- Scott 12,587
- Seth 9,841
- Syed 9,050
- Stephen 8,884
- Spencer 8,333
- Steven 6,970
- Shane 6,736
FAQ
Samuel: questions and answers
How popular is the name Samuel in the UK right now?
In 2024, Samuel was ranked #60 for boys in England and Wales, with 857 births registered.
When was Samuel most popular?
The peak year on record was 1997, with 6,367 babies registered as Samuel in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Samuel?
A masculine given name of Hebrew origin meaning "name of God" or "told by God".
How many people are called Samuel in the UK?
A total of 108,505 babies have been registered as Samuel across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 5,857 more in Scotland and 1,955 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Samuel most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Samuel ranks best in East of England, where it placed #1 in 2010. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.