Name of the Week

Dapper Samuel and reliable Sam.
A name of prophets and numerous authors.

 

Origin:

Samuel is a form (via the Greek rendering Samouel) of the Hebrew name Shemuel. The prophet Samuel (fl. 1050 BC) was the last judge of Israel and the first of the prophets after Moses; one of the most important figures of Jewish legend. He was also the last leader of Israel in the premonarchical period and, by divine request, anointed the first two Kings of Israel, Saul and David.  The last element of the name is undoubtedly el "God"; the first element is debated. It could be from shem "name" (therefore "name of God", "His name is 'El") or alternatively from shama "heard" (therefore "heard by God" or "God has heard"). The meaning behind Samuel's name is accounted for in the story of his birth. His mother, Hannah, praying for a child, was blessed by Eli. She was finally able to conceive and promised her son to God's service.   "She named him Samuel because she said, "I asked the Lord for him." 1 Samuel 1:20 In this sense, both "heard by God" or "in the name of God" fit quite nicely. Confusingly, however, the word punned in the passage is not shem or shama, but sha'al "ask, request, dedicate” — the route of the name Saul. Indeed, the word sha'al is used a staggering 28 times in the first Book of Samuel, giving the impression of deliberate word play. Some have argued that these puns suggest that it was Samuel, not Saul, who was regarded as the true leader of Israel; he who was asked of and dedicated to God. Others argue that the puns most likely once described Saul's birth story and were transferred, perhaps by Deuteronomist historians, to Samuel.

Usage:

Records for Samuel in use in Britain date back to the 12th century, though it was not very common. The surnames Samuel, Samuels and Samwell date from this period. In some cases they were used in Jewish families, but certainly not all.  In Scotland Samuel was used to Anglicise the name Somhairle (Somerled), a Gaelic borrowing of the Norse Summarliethi "summer-faring Viking".  Samuel's popularity began to rise in the early 16th century. Alongside Daniel, it was one of the first of the Old Testament names that would later become so popular to rise in usage. It is not clear what the reason behind Daniel and Samuel's early rise might have been. Samuel increased in use throughout the 16th and 17th century, and regularly held the position of the 9th, 10th or 11th most popular boys' name through to the 19th century. Smith Bannister's popularity rankings show the name's steady rise: 1538-49: #35; 1550-9: #35; 1560-9: #27;1570-9: #30;1580-9: #26; 1590-9: #19; 1600-9: #15; 1610-9: #16; 1620-9: #12; 1630-9: #10; 1640-9: #10; 1650-9: #9; 1660-9: #10; 1670-9: #9; 1680-9: #9; 1690-9: #10  The name continued with much the same popularity throughout the 18th century: Dunkling ranks the name at #11 in both 1700 and 1800 in England and Wales.  In 1880 in England and Wales, Samuel ranked #21 with 6159 births. It fell slightly to #23 (4977 births) in 1890 and #25 (4267 births) in 1900. Over the 20th century, Samuel was at the mercy of fads and trends. Having been so popular for so long, and perhaps gaining a dusty "granddad image", it began to wane quite dramatically after 1914 in England and Wales, leaving the Top 100 completely by. As with all trends, however, the name eventually started to look fresh again by the 1970s and, by the 1990s, Samuel was back to its 17th century heights.  1904: #32 1914: #36 1924: #57 1934: #75 1944: #97 1954: below #100 1964: below #100 1974: #82 1984: #43 1994: #9  2004: #6  In 2012, maintaining the same position as 2011, Samuel ranked #15 (3499 births) in England and Wales (#15 in England, #25 in Wales). Generally, over the last decade, Samuel has ranked higher in England individually than in Wales.  In Scotland, Samuel ranked #20 in 1900, #48 in 1950 and #96 in 1975. Samuel ranked #34 (199 births) in 2005, #37 in 2007, #39 in 2009, #42 in 2011 and #49 (145 births) in 2012.

Famous Bearers:

History:  * Samuel (fl. 1050 BC), an Old Testament prophet and a leader of ancient Israel. * Samuel of Bulgaria (c.1041–1105), Tsar (Emperor) of the First Bulgarian Empire. * Samuel Aba (d.1044), King of Hungary. * Samuel Pepys (1633–1703), English public official, and celebrated diarist. * Samuel Richardson (1689–1761), British novelist. * Samuel Johnson (1709–1784), British author and polymath. * Samuel Adams (1722–1803), political leader in the American Revolution and signer of the Declaration of Independence. * Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood (1724–1816), British Admiral and mentor to Horatio Nelson. * Sir Samuel Baker (1821–1893, British explorer, officer, naturalist, writer and abolitionist. * Samuel Butler (1835–1902), British author. * Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835–1910), American author who wrote under the pseudonym Mark Twain. * Samuel Beckett (1906–1989), Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. Contemporary: * Samuel "Sam" Cooke (1931–1964), American soul singer-songwriter. * Samuel L. Jackson (b. 1948), American actor.

Variants:

Samuele (Italian), Samuil (Russian), Sawyl (Welsh), Shmuel (Hebrew), Samuli (Finnish)

Pronunciation:

SAM-yoo-əl [key]

Possible diminutives:

Sam, Sammy, Sal

Sibling Names:

Isabelle    Bethan     Emma     Amelia     Lucy     Charlotte    Matthew     Jacob     Benjamin     Joseph     Thomas    George

Name Lists:

Popular Biblical   Gorgeously Georgian   Dickensian Names   Names from Beatrix Potter

 

If you like Samuel you may also like:   Daniel, Alexander, Joshua, Zachary, Henry, Nicholas, James, Isaac, Oliver, Seth

 

Thanks to Linden for requesting Samuel.