| Samuel | Nathan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | God has heard | he gave, given |
| Origin | Hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | SAM-yoo-el | NAY-thən |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2001 (14,813) | 2004 (14,634) |
| In 2025 | 8,334 | 4,975 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Samuel | Nathan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 50,328 | 31,755 |
| 2010s | 108,128 | 88,034 |
| 2000s | 138,647 | 134,857 |
| 1990s | 125,597 | 107,332 |
| 1980s | 73,456 | 105,987 |
| 1970s | 48,099 | 65,857 |
| 1960s | 44,247 | 15,524 |
| 1950s | 53,767 | 10,126 |
| 1940s | 43,129 | 5,577 |
| 1930s | 32,135 | 4,699 |
| 1920s | 43,362 | 6,715 |
| 1910s | 34,166 | 7,132 |
| 1900s | 8,149 | 1,616 |
| 1890s | 7,857 | 1,180 |
| 1880s | 9,129 | 1,106 |
Samuel is a Hebrew name read as “God has heard” or “name of God.” The prophet Samuel anointed the first kings of Israel.
From Hebrew Natan, from the root natan 'to give', meaning 'he gave' or 'given'. The same root underlies Nathaniel and Jonathan; on its own it denotes giving rather than naming God.
Samuel is more popular than Nathan today: about 8,334 US babies were given the name Samuel in 2025, compared with 4,975 named Nathan.
Samuel means God has heard (Hebrew origin), while Nathan means he gave, given (hebrew origin).
In US records, Samuel first appears in 1880 and Nathan in 1880, so Samuel has the longer recorded history.