How Many People Are Named Samuel?
An estimated 635,282 people in the United States have the first name Samuel. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #59 overall. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 34 years old, and Samuel peaked in popularity in 2001 with 14,845 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Amy (612,999).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Samuel as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Samuel paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Samuel is overwhelmingly male, 2,880 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
635,282
About 1 in 540 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.6% confidence
Average Age
34
years old
Peak Year
2001
14,845 births
Total Registered
814,600
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Samuel
Samuel is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 814,600 total births registered, 99.6% were male.
Samuel as a male name
Ranked #17 in 2024
8,310 male births in 2024
Peak: 2001 (14,813 births)
Samuel as a female name
Ranked #13,186 in 2024
7 female births in 2024
Peak: 1985 (64 births)
Samuel in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 566,085 people with the first name Samuel, which placed it at #73 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Samuel was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 566,085 people with this name in that snapshot, 99.8% were male and 0.2% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 99.6% of the time.
Census Count
566,085
people with this name
Census Rank
#73
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
187.43
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Samuel was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (62.46%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (19.13%) and Black (11.19%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Samuel in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Samuel.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 62.46% | 353,572 |
| Hispanic | 19.13% | 108,292 |
| Black | 11.19% | 63,349 |
| Two or More Races | 3.46% | 19,604 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 3.16% | 17,885 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.60% | 3,382 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Samuel: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Samuel span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2000s, when 138,883 babies were registered. While Samuel is less common than at its peak in the 2000s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Samuel by Decade
How has Samuel tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 9,129 | 9,129 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 7,873 | 7,857 | 16 | |
| 1900s | 8,173 | 8,149 | 24 | |
| 1910s | 34,264 | 34,166 | 98 | |
| 1920s | 43,599 | 43,362 | 237 | |
| 1930s | 32,325 | 32,135 | 190 | |
| 1940s | 43,320 | 43,127 | 193 | |
| 1950s | 53,984 | 53,766 | 218 | |
| 1960s | 44,515 | 44,250 | 265 | |
| 1970s | 48,466 | 48,103 | 363 | |
| 1980s | 73,979 | 73,460 | 519 | |
| 1990s | 125,901 | 125,592 | 309 | |
| 2000s | 138,883 | 138,622 | 261 | |
| 2010s | 108,243 | 108,101 | 142 | |
| 2020s | 41,946 | 41,901 | 45 | |
Samuel by State
Birth registrations for Samuel span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, New York. The lowest are in Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota. On average, about 15,418 Samuels were registered per state.
Samuel + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Samuel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Samuel
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
Samuel: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Samuel?
We estimate approximately 635,282 people named Samuel are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 540 Americans share this first name.
Is Samuel a common name?
Samuel is classified as "Very Common" and is more popular than 99.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 814,600 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Samuel most popular?
Samuel reached peak popularity in 2001, when 14,845 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Samuel is approximately 34 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Samuel in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 566,085 people with the first name Samuel. That placed it at #73 in the published Census first-name tables, or 187.43 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Samuel was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Samuel?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Samuel was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 99.8% male and 0.2% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Samuel?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Samuel was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (62.46%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (19.13%) and Black (11.19%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Samuel a male name?
Samuel is predominantly male. 99.6% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Samuel have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Samuel peaked in 2001, and the average living bearer is about 34 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Samuel Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Samuel Smith, Samuel Johnson, Samuel Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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