Boys' name · peaked in 1880
Samuel name popularity since 1925
740,376 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Samuel. Half of them were born in 1994 or earlier, so the typical Samuel is about 32 years old in 2026. Samuel peaked in 1880 as the #17 name for boys, and it ranked #18 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 740,376
- Named Samuel, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1880
- #17 for boys that year
- In 2025
- #18
- for boys in 2025 (8,334 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.6% boys
- 2,658 girls · 737,718 boys
- Most popular in
- Alaska
- 1.69× its national share
Peak year is the year Samuel made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Samuel births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 2001. Measured as a share of all babies, Samuel peaked earlier, in 1880.
Decade by decade
Babies named Samuel in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 144 | 20,185 | – |
| 1930s | 190 | 32,135 | #62 |
| 1940s | 193 | 43,129 | #62 |
| 1950s | 218 | 53,767 | #71 |
| 1960s | 265 | 44,247 | #84 |
| 1970s | 363 | 48,099 | #61 |
| 1980s | 519 | 73,456 | #54 |
| 1990s | 309 | 125,597 | #33 |
| 2000s | 262 | 138,647 | #21 |
| 2010s | 142 | 108,128 | #23 |
| 2020–25 | 53 | 50,328 | #18 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
29.2% of babies named Samuel from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Samuel is most popular
The index compares Samuel's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Samuel.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 1.69× | 1,878 |
| South Carolina | 1.46× | 15,301 |
| Utah | 1.42× | 9,009 |
| Delaware | 1.37× | 2,116 |
| Alabama | 1.33× | 17,590 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Samuel and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Samuel (this page) | 737,718 | 1880 |
| Samual | 5,119 | 1882 |
| Sammuel | 2,650 | 2009 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Samuel's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Samuel.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Samuel (1880).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data