| Samuel | Gabriel | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | God has heard | God is my strength |
| Origin | Hebrew | Hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | SAM-yoo-el | GAY-bree-el |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2001 (14,813) | 2008 (13,041) |
| In 2025 | 8,334 | 6,569 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Samuel | Gabriel |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 50,328 | 41,496 |
| 2010s | 108,128 | 105,621 |
| 2000s | 138,647 | 119,830 |
| 1990s | 125,597 | 54,819 |
| 1980s | 73,456 | 32,320 |
| 1970s | 48,099 | 24,390 |
| 1960s | 44,247 | 6,159 |
| 1950s | 53,767 | 3,204 |
| 1940s | 43,129 | 2,039 |
| 1930s | 32,135 | 1,839 |
| 1920s | 43,362 | 2,201 |
| 1910s | 34,166 | 1,335 |
| 1900s | 8,149 | 234 |
| 1890s | 7,857 | 144 |
| 1880s | 9,129 | 147 |
Samuel is a Hebrew name read as “God has heard” or “name of God.” The prophet Samuel anointed the first kings of Israel.
Gabriel is from the Hebrew Gavriʾel, “God is my strength.” Gabriel is one of the archangels who appears in Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition.
Samuel is more popular than Gabriel today: about 8,334 US babies were given the name Samuel in 2025, compared with 6,569 named Gabriel.
Samuel means God has heard (Hebrew origin), while Gabriel means God is my strength (Hebrew origin).
In US records, Samuel first appears in 1880 and Gabriel in 1880, so Samuel has the longer recorded history.