UK boy's name
Shmuel
A masculine Hebrew name meaning "God has heard" or "name of 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.
Shmuel is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Shmuel popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1460, with 18 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 22 births.
This profile covers 326 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, 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 82% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 324 living people in the UK are called Shmuel. 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
- • Shmuel ranked #1460 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 18 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2015, when 22 boys were registered as Shmuel.
- • About 324 living people in the UK are estimated to have Shmuel as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1460
2024
Births in 2024
18
Latest year
Peak year
2015
22 births
Estimated living
324
2026
Meaning
What does Shmuel mean?
The given name Shmuel has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture. It is a variant spelling of the biblical name Samuel, derived from the Hebrew phrase "Shemū'ēl" which translates to "name of God" or "God has heard."
Shmuel is a prominent name in Jewish tradition, appearing in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) as the name of the revered prophet and judge Samuel. He is depicted as one of the most important figures in the transition from the period of the Biblical judges to the Hebrew monarchy. The books of Samuel in the Bible recount his life and deeds.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shmuel can be found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient Jewish religious manuscripts dating back to the 3rd century BCE. This attests to the antiquity of the name within the Jewish tradition.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Shmuel. One of the most famous was Shmuel HaNavi (c. 1107 - c. 1180 CE), a French rabbi and leading Talmudic scholar of the Middle Ages. His biblical commentaries and legal rulings were highly influential in the development of Rabbinic Judaism.
Another prominent figure was Shmuel Aben Nagrela (993 - 1056 CE), a Spanish Jewish philosopher, poet, and statesman who served as the vizier of Granada. He was a leading intellectual figure in the Golden Age of Jewish culture in Spain.
In the realm of Hasidic Judaism, Shmuel Shmelke Horowitz (1726 - 1778) was a renowned rabbi and founder of the Nikolsburg Hasidic dynasty. His teachings and writings had a significant impact on the development of the Hasidic movement.
During the 19th century, Shmuel Yosef Agnon (1888 - 1970) was a celebrated Hebrew writer and Nobel Prize laureate in Literature. His works, which drew heavily from Jewish folklore and tradition, are considered among the greatest in modern Hebrew literature.
Another notable bearer of the name was Shmuel Rozovski (1904 - 1994), a Polish-Israeli painter and artist who is celebrated as one of the founders of the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts in Jerusalem.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Shmuel over time
The chart below shows babies named Shmuel 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 Shmuel, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 18 births in 2024, compared with 22 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shmuel by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Shmuel 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 | #1815 | 69 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1669 | 145 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2098 | 87 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1824 | 25 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Shmuel
- Samuel 108,505
- 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
FAQ
Shmuel: questions and answers
How popular is the name Shmuel in the UK right now?
In 2024, Shmuel was ranked #1460 for boys in England and Wales, with 18 births registered.
When was Shmuel most popular?
The peak year on record was 2015, with 22 babies registered as Shmuel in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Shmuel?
A masculine Hebrew name meaning "God has heard" or "name of God".
How many people are called Shmuel in the UK?
A total of 326 babies have been registered as Shmuel across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
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.