Samuel (name)

Samuel

Gender	Male
Origin
Word/name	Hebrew
Meaning	"name of God" or "God has heard"
Other names
Nickname(s)	Sam, Sami, Sammie, Sammy, Sambo

Samuel is a male given name of Hebrew origin meaning either "name of God" (שם האלוהים Shm Alohim) or "God has heard" (אלוהים שמע Shma Alohim). Samuel was the last of the ruling judges in the Old Testament. He anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel, and later anointed David.

As a Christian name, Samuel came into common use after the Protestant Reformation. Famous bearers include American inventor Samuel Morse (1791–1872), Irish writer Samuel Beckett (1906–89), and American author Samuel Clemens (1835–1910), who wrote under the pen name Mark Twain.

Feminine variants

• Samuela (Italian)
• Samantha

Notable people

The name may refer to:

Given name

• Samuel (Biblical figure), Biblical prophet
• Samuel of Nehardea, Jewish Talmudist
• Samuel of Bulgaria, Emperor of the First Bulgarian Empire from 997 to 1014
• Samuel Berger (boxer), American Olympic champion heavyweight
• Samuel Gerson, Ukrainian-born American Olympic silver medal wrestler (freestyle featherweight)
• Samuel Goodman (rugby union), American player & manager of gold-winning US Olympic team
• Samuel Langhorne Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain
• Samuel Mosberg, American Olympic champion lightweight boxer
• Samuel Otis, Secretary of the United States Senate
• Samuel Rabin (artist), British Olympic bronze medal wrestler (freestyle middleweight)
• Samuel Rappaport, former Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
• Samuel Adams, Founding Father of the United States
• Sam Allardyce, English football manager and former professional player
• Sam Anderson, American actor
• Sam Balter, American basketball guard, Olympic champion
• Sam Barkas, English football player and manager
• Samuel Barnett (actor), English actor
• Sam Bottoms, American actor and producer
• Sam Boyd, founder of Boyd Gaming Corporation (Sam Boyd Stadium is named after him)
• Sam Brittleton, English footballer
• Sam Brownback, senior United States senator from Kansas
• Sam Bush, American bluegrass mandolin player
• Sam Cassell, retired American professional basketball player and assistant coach for the Washington Wizards
• Sam Collier, American advertising entrepreneur
• Sam Collins, English professional footballer currently playing for Hartlepool United
• Sam Cooke, American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur
• Sam Coslow, American songwriter, singer and film producer
• Sam Crawford, Major League Baseball player
• Sam Daly, American actor
• Sam Demel, American baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks
• Sam Donaldson, American reporter and news anchor for ABC News
• Samuel George "Sammy" Davis, Jr., American entertainer
• Sam Elliott, American actor
• Sam Ermolenko, former Speedway rider
• Sam Ervin, Democratic United States Senator
• Sam Farr, American politician
• Sam Fatu, professional wrestler best known under the name of The Tonga Kid, or Tama
• Samuel Firmino de Jesus, Brazilian footballer who currently plays for São Paulo Futebol Clube
• Samuel "Sam" Fuld, American major league baseball player
• Sam Gagner, Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing with the Edmonton Oilers
• Sam Giammalva, amateur tennis player
• Sam Giancana, Italian-American mobster and boss of the Chicago Outfit 1957–66
• Sam Heughan, British actor
• Sam Houser, English computer game producer and developer
• Sam Houston, 19th century American statesman, politician, and soldier
• Sam Huff, former American football linebacker in the National Football League
• Samuel L. Jackson, American film and television actor and film producer
• Sam Jaffe, American actor, teacher and engineer
• Sam Jaffe (producer), agent, a producer and a studio executive
• Sam Johnson, American politician and a retired career U.S. Air Force officer and fighter pilot
• Sam Katz, current mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
• Sam Katzman, American film producer and director
• Sam Keith, American author
• Sam Kieth, American comics writer and illustrator and film director
• Sam Kinison, American stand-up comedian and actor
• Sam Koch, American football punter for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL
• Sam Lanin, American jazz bandleader
• Sam Lee, Chinese actor
• Sam Lee (tennis), professional tennis player
• Sam Lee (singer), Taiwanese singer-songwriter
• Sam Loeb, son of comic book writer Jeph Loeb
• Sam Loeffler, drummer of the hard rock band Chevelle
• Sam LoPresti(1917–1984), ice hockey goaltender
• Sam Loxton, former Australian cricketer, footballer and politician
• Sam Lloyd, American actor and musician
• Sammy Luftspring, Canadian champion welterweight boxer, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
• Sam Maceo, community leader, and organized crime boss
• Sam Manekshaw, Indian Army officer
• Sam Match, American tennis player
• Sam McCullum, American NFL football wide receiver
• Sam McDowell, former pitcher in Major League Baseball
• Sam Mele, former right fielder, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball
• Sam Mendes, English stage and film director
• Sam Milby, Filipino-American actor and singer
• Sam Moskowitz, early fan and organizer of interest in science fiction
• Sam Neill, Australian and New Zealand actor
• Sam Newfield, American B-movie director
• Sam Newman, retired Australian rules footballer and television personality
• Sam Nixon, UK pop singer and television presenter
• Sam Nunn, American lawyer and politician
• Sam Paulescu, American football punter who is a free agent in the NFL
• Sam Peckinpah, American filmmaker and screenwriter
• Sam Phillips, American record producer
• Sam Pollock, former general manager in the National Hockey League
• Sam Posey, retired American racecar driver and sports broadcast journalist
• Sam Querrey, professional American tennis player
• Sam Raimi, American film director, producer, actor and writer
• Sam Rayburn, Democratic lawmaker
• Sam Rice, American right fielder in Major League Baseball
• Sam Riegel, voice actor, writer and director
• Sam Rivers, bassist and one of the founding members of the band Limp Bizkit
• Sam Robards, American actor
• Sam Roberts, Juno Award winning Canadian rock singer-songwriter
• Sam Rockwell, American actor
• Sam Roddick, founder of Coco de Mer a
• Samuel Rosa, lead singer and guitarist of Brazilian rock band Skank
• Sam Samore, American artist
• Sam Shepard, American playwright, actor, and television and film director
• Sam Shilton, professional footballer playing as a defender, currently playing for Bedworth United F.C.
• Sam Simon, American television producer and writer, (one of the original developers of The Simpsons)
• Sam Sodje, Nigerian footballer who plays as a defender for Charlton Athletic
• Sam Sparro, Australian singer-songwriter, music producer, and former child actor
• Sam Spiegel, independent Academy Award-winning film producer
• Sam S. Shubert, Polish-born American producer and theatre owner/operator
• Sam Snead, American professional golfer
• Sam Sneed, producer and rapper
• Sam Tanenhaus, American author, historian and biographer
• Sam Thaiday, Australian professional rugby league footballer
• Sam Tillen, English professional footballer
• Sam Torrance, Scottish golfer
• Samuel Sullivan, a character in the NBC TV series Heroes
• Samuel José da Silva Vieira, (born 1974) Brazilian footballer
• Sam Walton, American businessman and entrepreneur (founder of Wal-Mart)
• Sam Warner, co-founder and chief executive officer of Warner Bros. Studios
• Sam Waterston, Academy Award-nominated American actor
• Sam Watters, songwriter and record producer
• Sam Wood, American film director
• Sam Worthington, Australian actor
• Sam Wright, American shortstop in Major League Baseball
• Sam Wyly, American entrepreneur and businessman, philanthropist, and major contributor to conservative campaigns and candidates
• Sam Yorty, American politician
• Sam Younger, formerly the chairman of the United Kingdom Electoral Commission
• Samuel (musician), Indie pop artist

Surname

• Adriana Samuel (born 1966), Brazilian volleyball player
• Arthur Samuel, computer scientist
• Asante Samuel, American football player
• Gene Samuel (born 1961), Trinidad and Tobago road bicycle racer and track cyclist
• Herbert Samuel first administrator of Palestine under the British Mandate, 1920–1925
• Raphael Samuel (1934–1996), British historian
• Seal Henry Samuel (born 1963), British musician commonly known simply as Seal
• Walter Samuel, Argentine centre back for Inter Milan

See also

• Books of Samuel of the Bible