Samuel
A Hebrew name meaning "god has heard", given only to boys in Poland. Around 7,000 carry it here, few enough that meeting a Samuel still registers, and the roughly 170 born last year keep its numbers steady.
Samuel Pronunciation
Samuel is pronounced sah-MOO-el (/saˈmuɛl/).
What Samuel means
Where Samuel comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Samuel comes from the Hebrew Shemu'el, built from a verb meaning to hear joined to a word for God. The short meaning most families are given is "god has heard", in Polish "wysłuchany przez boga".
The name keeps a source story in the Bible. In the first book that bears his name, Samuel is born to Hannah, a woman who had wanted a child for years and prayed for one. When the boy arrived she gave him a name that recorded the answer she believed she had received. Samuel grows into a prophet. He goes on to anoint the first two kings of Israel, Saul and then David.
A Polish child named Samuel today inherits that meaning whether or not the family opens the text. On a school register he sits among the Jakubs and Szymons with no footnote. The Hebrew roots do not change under him. Heard by God.
When Samuel celebrates name day
Samuel appears 6 times in the Polish name day calendar, 2 of them as a main name, the first on 16 February.
The days Polish calendars list this name on. By custom you celebrate one of them, usually the first after your birthday.
Rarer dates. Only the most complete calendars add this name on these days. Most skip them, so hardly anyone celebrates then.
How many people are named Samuel
1 in 3025 men in Poland is named Samuel. 7,057 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #428 among male names.
Samuel's popularity over time
169 boys were given the name in 2025, ranking #201 among newborns. It has been climbing since 2000.
Where parents choose Samuel
Samuel is most popular in Opole, 96% above the national average (54 boys born 2019–2025), followed by Silesian (+47%) and Lesser Poland (+44%). It is least common in Holy Cross and Łódź, 70% and 50% below average respectively.
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Opole
+96%1 in 854 babies
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Silesian
+47%1 in 1,132 babies
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Lesser Poland
+44%1 in 1,164 babies
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Holy Cross
−70%1 in 5,543 babies
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Łódź
−50%1 in 3,335 babies
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Lublin
−41%1 in 2,852 babies
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Opole+96% 54 born1 in 854 babies+96%
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Silesian+47% 201 born1 in 1,132 babies+47%
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Lesser Poland+44% 195 born1 in 1,164 babies+44%
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Lower Silesian+34% 126 born1 in 1,247 babies+34%
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Pomeranian+24% 109 born1 in 1,352 babies+24%
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Subcarpathian+5% 76 born1 in 1,586 babies+5%
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Lubusz−6% 28 born1 in 1,773 babies−6%
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Warmian-Masurian−9% 39 born1 in 1,841 babies−9%
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Greater Poland−12% 114 born1 in 1,888 babies−12%
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Masovian−23% 164 born1 in 2,160 babies−23%
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West Pomeranian−31% 35 born1 in 2,412 babies−31%
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Kuyavian-Pomeranian−34% 43 born1 in 2,544 babies−34%
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Podlaskie−34% 26 born1 in 2,530 babies−34%
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Lublin−41% 36 born1 in 2,852 babies−41%
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Łódź−50% 38 born1 in 3,335 babies−50%
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Holy Cross−70% 10 born1 in 5,543 babies−70%
Samuel as a middle name
Samuel is a first name for 7,057 men in Poland and a middle name for another 2,635, a 73/27 split. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 157th, between Izydor (2,660) and Natan (2,622).
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#155 Albin2,673
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#156 Izydor2,660
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#157 Samuel2,635
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#158 Natan2,622
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#159 Paul2,571