Samuel
Say it: SAM-yoo-el/ˈsæmjuːəl/
BoyMeans usually explained as "name of God"6 letters3 syllables
#76
in Ireland (2025)
#79 with spellings combined
78
babies in 2025
#33
best rank (2013)
5,815
babies since 1964
Down 38
10-year rank change
Samuel through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 78 | #79 |
| 2024 | 83 | #73 |
| 2023 | 66 | #93 |
| 2022 | 96 | #74 |
| 2021 | 89 | #77 |
| 2020 | 99 | #69 |
| 2019 | 113 | #61 |
| 2018 | 141 | #54 |
| 2017 | 150 | #52 |
| 2016 | 193 | #38 |
| 2015 | 176 | #41 |
| 2014 | 193 | #43 |
| 2013 | 217 | #33 |
| 2012 | 213 | #40 |
| 2011 | 230 | #39 |
| 2010 | 227 | #38 |
| 2009 | 238 | #37 |
| 2008 | 218 | #39 |
| 2007 | 225 | #35 |
| 2006 | 224 | #34 |
| 2005 | 210 | #35 |
| 2004 | 209 | #34 |
| 2003 | 193 | #37 |
| 2002 | 166 | #43 |
| 2001 | 146 | #49 |
| 2000 | 119 | #57 |
| 1999 | 115 | #55 |
| 1998 | 96 | #55 |
| 1997 | 103 | #71 |
| 1996 | 103 | #69 |
| 1995 | 86 | #74 |
| 1994 | 91 | #72 |
| 1993 | 67 | #89 |
| 1992 | 91 | #73 |
| 1991 | 61 | #96 |
| 1990 | 69 | #89 |
| 1989 | 48 | #100 |
| 1988 | 51 | #99 |
| 1987 | 22 | #147 |
| 1986 | 31 | #130 |
| 1985 | 18 | #157 |
| 1984 | 34 | #121 |
| 1983 | 16 | #164 |
| 1982 | 22 | #150 |
| 1981 | 29 | #140 |
| 1980 | 23 | #146 |
| 1979 | 28 | #134 |
| 1978 | 26 | #138 |
| 1977 | 17 | #170 |
| 1976 | 15 | #181 |
| 1975 | 25 | #137 |
| 1974 | 22 | #148 |
| 1973 | 21 | #152 |
| 1972 | 12 | #186 |
| 1971 | 18 | #155 |
| 1970 | 16 | #157 |
| 1969 | 17 | #141 |
| 1968 | 18 | #137 |
| 1967 | 22 | #119 |
| 1966 | 25 | #113 |
| 1965 | 27 | #108 |
| 1964 | 18 | #119 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Samuel mean?
Usually explained as "name of God"
Hebrew Shemuel, through Greek and Latin.
Say it right
SAMyooel
In quick speech it often shrinks to two syllables, SAM-yool.
The story of Samuel
Samuel comes from the Hebrew Shemuel and reached English through Greek and Latin. The meaning is not settled. It is often read as “name of God”, or as “God has set”. The Bible itself links it to a phrase about a child “asked of God”, because his mother Hannah had prayed for a son.
In the Bible, Samuel is the prophet and last of the judges of Israel, who anointed Saul and later David as king. Among Irish bearers, the best known is the writer Samuel Beckett, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969.
Samuel was a modest name in Ireland until the late 1980s, then rose quickly. The most babies came in 2009, with 238 boys, and its best rank was number 33 in 2013. In Northern Ireland its highest place was 25th, in 2005.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Samuel (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Samuel (name)
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Nicknames
SamSammy
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Samuel | 78 | 5,815 |
In Northern Ireland
#69 in 2025 with 34 babies. Best rank #25 (2005); 1,989 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.