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.
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 Samuel is most popular
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 Świętokrzyskie and Łódź, 70% and 50% below average respectively.
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Opole54 boys born+96%
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Silesian201 boys born+47%
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Lesser Poland195 boys born+44%
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Lower Silesian126 boys born+34%
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Pomeranian109 boys born+24%
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Subcarpathian76 boys born+5%
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Lubusz28 boys born−6%
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Warmian-Masurian39 boys born−9%
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Greater Poland114 boys born−12%
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Masovian164 boys born−23%
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West Pomeranian35 boys born−31%
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Kuyavian-Pomeranian43 boys born−34%
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Podlaskie26 boys born−34%
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Lublin36 boys born−41%
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Łódź38 boys born−50%
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Świętokrzyskie10 boys born−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
2,673Albin
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156
2,660Izydor
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1572,635Samuel
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158
2,622Natan
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159
2,571Paul
When Samuel celebrates name day
Samuel appears 2 times in the Polish name day calendar. The main date is 16 February.