Baby Name Popularity Profile

Samuel

Data-driven SSA statistics, rankings, and historical trends for Samuel.

✦ Heard by God 🌍 Hebrew Biblical Traditional
National Rank (2025) #18
All-Time Peak Rank #17 Achieved 1880
Total U.S. Births 820,196 since 1880
Unisex Distribution 99.9% Boy / 0.1% Girl Overwhelmingly Male
Girl Rank (2025) Unranked rare/no Girl usage
First Recorded 1880 Data through: 2025
Peak Decade 2000s 14,813 births in 2001
πŸ’‘ The Samuel Vibe: Considered a Perennial Favorite. A historic staple that has maintained dominant national popularity for over half a century.

🌍 Meaning & Etymology

Primary Meaning Heard by God
Language Origin Hebrew
Origin Type single
Derived from the Hebrew name Shmu'el (Χ©Φ°ΧΧžΧ•ΦΌΧΦ΅Χœ) meaning 'name of God' or 'God has heard'.
Common Nicknames
Sam Sammy
Alternative Spellings
Shmuel Samuil
Pronunciation: SAM-yoo-el
Themes & Categories
Etymology confidence: High

πŸ“Š Popularity Over Time (1880 – 2025)

Annual registration volume (number of births) for Samuel across 146 years of SSA data.

Historical Timeline (1880 - 2025)
18801920196020002025
Recent Decade (2015 - 2025)
5-Year Trend (2020–2025) -3.0%
10-Year Trend (2015–2025) -23.6%
2015: 10,905 births 10,905 2016: 10,621 births 2017: 10,449 births 2018: 9,854 births 2019: 9,322 births 2020: 8,594 births 8,594 2021: 8,580 births 2022: 8,427 births 2023: 8,038 births 2024: 8,355 births 2025: 8,334 births 8,334
2015 2020 2025

πŸ“ˆ Popularity Milestones

Busiest Year on Record 14,813 births in 2001
Years in Top 100 146 yrs
Years in Top 500 146 yrs
Longest Streak 146 yrs
Decade-by-Decade Registration Volumes
1880s: 9,129
1890s: 7,857
1900s: 8,149
1910s: 34,166
1920s: 43,362
1930s: 32,135
1940s: 43,129
1950s: 53,767
1960s: 44,247
1970s: 48,099
1980s: 73,456
1990s: 125,597
2000s: 138,647
2010s: 108,128
2020s: 50,328

πŸ“ Sound & Spelling Structure

Phonetic Syllables Samu-e
Letter Count 6 letters
Spelling Complexity Moderate
Length Percentile Longer than 25.7% of names
Linguistic Profile: It is an isogram, meaning no two letters are repeated. Longer than 25.7% of SSA names. Starts with S, a letter used by only 7.9% of SSA names.

πŸ› οΈ Sibling & Surname Cadence Tool

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πŸ“ Authentic State & Regional Rankings

Highest Ranking State Alaska
Top States Alaska, South Carolina, Delaware, Utah, Virginia
States with Data 51
State 2025 Rank Total Births Peak Year 5-Yr Velocity
Alaska #14 1,883 2004 Stable
South Carolina #14 17,769 1948 +13.8% Growth
Delaware #33 2,348 1997 Insufficient historical volume
Utah #28 9,177 2004 25.0% Decline
Virginia #15 24,747 2002 3.8% Decline
Alabama #8 19,663 2005 +22.8% Growth
District of Columbia #12 4,744 1992 Stable
North Carolina #13 30,271 2003 +6.7% Growth
Tennessee #14 21,631 2003 0.8% Decline
Idaho #21 3,951 2010 22.2% Decline
Hawaii #36 3,042 1998 Insufficient historical volume
Maryland #23 14,749 2000 6.4% Decline
New Hampshire #48 3,052 2004 Stable
Georgia #19 26,982 2007 9.1% Decline
Oregon #18 8,599 1999 2.8% Decline
Colorado #32 11,350 2003 12.2% Decline
Florida #22 31,660 2005 +0.8% Growth
Mississippi #19 11,686 1949 12.2% Decline
New Mexico #21 4,940 1996 4.3% Decline
Nevada #27 3,047 2005 +3.0% Growth
Arizona #23 11,005 2005 Stable
Washington #9 14,503 2003 +16.0% Growth
Pennsylvania #21 47,986 1918 1.8% Decline
West Virginia #25 8,112 1949 +7.5% Growth
Vermont Unranked 1,483 1988 Insufficient historical volume
Wyoming Unranked 1,149 2006 Insufficient historical volume
Arkansas #12 9,170 2003 +2.1% Growth
Maine #81 3,702 2004 40.7% Decline
Kentucky #15 14,090 2003 +0.7% Growth
Minnesota #34 14,870 2001 14.8% Decline
Texas #16 61,287 2005 +3.7% Growth
Montana #27 2,440 1996 Insufficient historical volume
Indiana #13 18,544 1997 +2.7% Growth
Missouri #15 17,295 2002 +1.7% Growth
Connecticut #32 8,346 1999 +12.3% Growth
Massachusetts #17 18,118 2001 +4.1% Growth
Kansas #24 7,687 2007 1.2% Decline
Oklahoma #13 9,877 2005 +21.2% Growth
Louisiana #15 13,004 1949 +21.5% Growth
New Jersey #36 19,360 2001 10.8% Decline
California #34 69,781 2001 12.5% Decline
Nebraska #24 5,070 2004 +5.6% Growth
Ohio #30 31,852 2001 3.0% Decline
Rhode Island #59 2,513 2002 48.5% Decline
New York #38 52,939 2001 25.6% Decline
Wisconsin #27 13,599 2001 +20.0% Growth
South Dakota #49 2,104 1991 16.0% Decline
Illinois #31 30,078 1997 9.2% Decline
Iowa #34 7,388 1999 11.4% Decline
Michigan #37 20,185 2001 5.1% Decline
North Dakota #34 1,639 2003 Insufficient historical volume

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