Samuel
Samuel comes from the Hebrew "Shmuel," meaning "God has heard." In the Hebrew Bible, Samuel was the prophet who anointed Saul and David as the first two kings of Israel. Samuel was a top-100 American name from 1880 to 1935, declined mid-century, and then had a remarkable revival — re-entering the top 50 in 2014. Samuel (the writer Samuel Beckett, 1906-1989, the Irish author of "Waiting for Godot" who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1969) is the most famous literary bearer. Samuel (the writer Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain) gave the name American literary prestige. The nickname Sam (as in Sam Elliott) is one of the most natural in English. Samuel is a male name of Hebrew origin that means "God has heard". Serious, biblical, and quietly principled. The name sounds historic. Samuels tend to be thoughtful. US top 50 since 2014. Rising. Well-known people named Samuel include Samuel (biblical prophet), Samuel Beckett (author), Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (author), Samuel (Hebrew name). Common variations and related forms of Samuel include Sam (nickname), Samuele (Italian), Samu (Finnish), Shmuel (Hebrew).