Shmuel

Meaning: Name of God; also glossed 'God has set' or 'asked of God'
Origin: Yiddish (from Hebrew) — Variant of Samuel

Boy's name · #923 in the US (2025) · Trending

Popularity over time

Shmuel is climbing: on the charts since 1953, it is ranked #923 in 2025, with about 260 boys given the name last year. Roughly 6,000 have carried it all-time.

Across the states

In recent years, Shmuel ran 7–16× its national rate in New Jersey and New York—ranked #81 in New Jersey in 2025.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 6 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Shmuel ranks in other countries and regions.

#1,458 in England & Wales (2025) · #2,808 in Canada (2024).

Famous Shmuels

Shmuel Yosef Agnon — Ukrainian-born Israeli Hebrew writer, Nobel laureate in Literature (1888–1970)
Shmuel Eisenstadt — Israeli sociologist (1923–2010)
Shmuel Rosenthal — Israeli footballer
Shmuel Katz — Israeli writer, journalist and historian (1914–2008)
Shmuel Gonen — Israeli general

What Shmuels become

Among 242 notable people named Shmuel:

Military figures appear 3.35× more often than among typical names — e.g. Shmuel Gonen, Israeli general.

Similar names: Shmiel · Yitzchok · Avi · Yisroel · Jael · Immanuel

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service