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Samuel

Boy name · 5,928 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Samuel: 5,928 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to boys, peaking at 209 births in 2005.

Samuel is a name of Hebrew origin, taken from the biblical name *Shemu'el*, which may mean "name of God" or "God has heard" – a fitting meaning given his mother Hannah's prayer for a child. The most famous bearer is the prophet Samuel from the Old Testament, a leader of ancient Israel. In more recent history, Samuel Johnson (1709–1784), the great English lexicographer and author of *A Dictionary of the English Language*, looms large. The American inventor Samuel Morse gave his name to Morse code, though no major place is directly named after him. A notable variant is the Spanish and Portuguese *Samuel*, which shares the same root, while the name's Scottish popularity has remained steady for decades, partly thanks to its strong, timeless biblical foundation.