How popular is the baby name Samuel in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Samuel.

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Popularity of the baby name Samuel


Posts that mention the name Samuel

Popular baby names in New Zealand, 2014

Flag of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand

According to data from New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs, the most popular baby names in New Zealand in 2014 were Charlotte and Oliver.

Here are New Zealand’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2014:

Girl namesBoy names
1. Charlotte, 255 baby girls
2. Olivia, 243
3. Isla, 226
4. Emily, 221
5. Sophie, 211
6. Amelia, 210
7. Ella, 206
8. Harper, 204
9. Sophia, 198
10. Ruby, 180		1. Oliver, 313 baby boys
2. Jack, 265
3. James, 255
4. Mason, 244
5. Liam, 241
6. William, 234
7. Noah, 231
8. Lucas, 228
9. Benjamin, 207
10. Jacob, 202

Harper and Sophia replaced Ava and Isabella in the girls’ top 10, and Benjamin and Jacob replaced Samuel and Thomas in the boys’ top 10.

The biggest movement within the top 10 is Ruby, which dropped from 3rd place all the way to 10th.

Several articles made note of the absence of Maori names on both top 100 lists:

About 20 percent of Maori women aged 15 and over had given birth to four or more children compared to only 12.2 percent of the European women, meaning there was even more reason for Maori names to be chosen.

But this was not the case.

Fifteen percent of the population (598,602) identified as Maori in the 2013 Census.

Maori names like Manaia and Anahera have appeared on the New Zealand girls’ top 100 in recent years, but neither made the list in 2014.

Finally, here are some older sets of baby name rankings from New Zealand: 2013 overall, 2013 Maori names, 2012 overall, 2012 Maori names, and 2010 overall.

Sources: Charlotte and Oliver top baby names for 2014, Most Popular Male and Female First Names, Parents overlook Maori names

Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)

Popular baby names in England and Wales (UK), 2013

Flag of the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom

The top baby names in England and Wales were announced last week.

According to data from the Office for National Statistics, the most popular baby names last year were Amelia and Oliver.

Here are England and Wales’ top 20 girl names and top 20 boy names of 2013:

Girl Names

  1. Amelia, 5570 baby girls
  2. Olivia, 4598
  3. Emily, 4049
  4. Ava, 3575
  5. Isla, 3526
  6. Jessica, 3507
  7. Poppy, 3422
  8. Isabella, 3246
  9. Sophie, 3013
  10. Mia, 2993
  11. Ruby, 2948
  12. Lily, 2883
  13. Grace, 2799
  14. Evie, 2767
  15. Sophia, 2764
  16. Ella, 2722
  17. Scarlett, 2643
  18. Chloe, 2401
  19. Isabelle, 2287
  20. Freya, 2266

Boy Names

  1. Oliver, 6,949 baby boys
  2. Jack, 6,212
  3. Harry, 5,888
  4. Jacob, 5,126
  5. Charlie 5,039
  6. Thomas, 4,591
  7. Oscar, 4,511
  8. William, 4,268
  9. James, 4,236
  10. George, 4,202
  11. Alfie, 4,138
  12. Joshua, 3,973
  13. Noah, 3,830
  14. Ethan, 3,572
  15. Muhammad, 3,499
  16. Archie, 3,265
  17. Leo, 3,264
  18. Henry, 3,248
  19. Joseph, 3,225
  20. Samuel, 3,188

There were some big moves on the boys’ side: Oscar rose from 17th to 7th, while Riley plummeted from 8th to 21st. (Here are the biggest moves overall for boy names and girl names.)

New to the top 20 are Scarlett, Archie, Henry and Joseph. They replaced Charlotte, Riley, Daniel and Max.

One thing I found interesting? Freya wasn’t on the England top 20. It also wasn’t on the Wales top 20. And yet still it managed to rank 20th on the combined top 20. Very sneaky, Freya.

Here are some of last year’s rare baby names, each given to between 3 and 10 babies (inclusive):

Rare Girl NamesRare Boy Names
Akvile, Alaska, Alphonsa, Andromeda, Arena, Arizona, Atlantis, Belinay, Bellatrix, Blousey, Boadicea, Boglarka, Bonnie-Blue, Boo, Boux, Charm, Cressida, Crystal-Rose, Daenerys, Delphie, Disney, Duru, Edwina, Ellery, Eloghosa, Enfys, Enlli,* Eos, Ernestine, Esila, Evan, Frayer, Freshta, Fausta, Garance, Gelila, Gemini, Gerda, Glorious, Halo, Honour, Io, Iole, Ionie, Iseult, Isla-Belle, Izna, Lava, Lleucu, Llinos, Llio, Loveday, Loxy, Mafalda, Man, Maple, Miami, Migle, Milda, Misk, Mirabella, Mirren, Myfi, Myrtle, Nandi, Nephele, Nma, Ottoline, Pebbles, Popi, Purity, Quorra, Quratulain, Rory, Ruby-Tuesday, Salsabeel, Sehrish, Sequoia, Sibel, Sobia, Solveig, Sundus, Tiggi, Tiggy, Tirion, Tulsi, Vespa, Vogue, YiyiAlaric, Bramwell, Cavalli, Ceirion, Denley, Diesel, Diggory, Drin, Eesaa, Eyoel, Fiachra, Finlo, Fyfe, Ghyll, Greatness, Gruff, Hanzala, Haoyu, Heathcliff, Henley-John, Ho, Hocine, Innis, Iori, J, Jai-Jai, Jay-J, Jaygo, Johnboy, Jonjoe, Kebba, Kelly, Khizr, King-David, Klevis, Lebron, Liutaruas, Llyr, Lochie, Messi, Mortimer, Nebi, Nimrod, Noman, Olti, Omarion, Orpheus, Osgar, Oska, Perseus, Ptolemy, Qi, Rhythm, Rozh, Rhon, Sandor, Shady, Shaquille, Sheriff, Shko, Soul, Swayley, T, Tiger, Tirath, Tobenna, Toprak, Tuguldur, Tylah, Tyrion, Ugnius, Viggo, Wentworth, Winter, Wolf, Wolfgang, Wren, Yanky, Yug, Zeus, Zsombor

*Enlli, which debuted last year, comes from the name of the Welsh island Ynys Enlli (called Bardsey Island in English). The island name is usually translated as “island of the current,” with ynys meaning “island,” and enlli meaning “current.” You can hear the proper pronunciation of Ynys Enlli at Forvo.

Finally, all of my previous posts on the popular (and unique) baby names in England and Wales: 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2008.

Source: Baby Names, England and Wales, 2013 – ONS

Image: Adapted from Flag of the United Kingdom (public domain)

Names popular during the Victorian Era

Photo of a Victorian-era baby

Tuesday’s post about the Victorian-style Tylney Hall Hotel reminded me of a list of Victorian-era names that I’ve had bookmarked forever.

The list was created by amateur genealogist G. M. Atwater as a resource for writers. It contains names and name combinations that were commonly seen in the U.S. from the 1840s to the 1890s. Below is the full list (with a few minor changes).

Victorian Era Female NamesVictorian Era Male Names
  • Abigale / Abby
  • Ada
  • Adella
  • Agnes
  • Allie
  • Almira / Almyra
  • Alva
  • America
  • Amelia
  • Ann / Annie
  • Arrah
  • Beatrice
  • Bernice
  • Charity
  • Charlotte
  • Chastity
  • Claire
  • Constance
  • Cynthia
  • Dorothy / Dot
  • Edith
  • Edna
  • Edwina
  • Ella
  • Eleanor
  • Ellie
  • Elizabeth / Eliza / Liza / Lizzy / Bess / Bessie / Beth / Betsy
  • Elvira
  • Emma
  • Esther
  • Ethel
  • Eudora
  • Eva
  • Fidelia
  • Frances / Fanny
  • Flora
  • Florence
  • Geneve
  • Genevieve
  • Georgia
  • Gertrude / Gertie
  • Gladys
  • Grace
  • Hannah
  • Hattie
  • Helen
  • Helene
  • Henrietta / Hettie / Ettie
  • Hester
  • Hope
  • Hortence
  • Isabell / Isabella
  • Jane
  • Jennie
  • Jessamine
  • Josephine
  • Judith
  • Julia
  • Juliet
  • Katherine / Kate
  • Laura
  • Leah
  • Lenora
  • Letitia
  • Lila
  • Lilly
  • Lorena
  • Lorraine
  • Lottie
  • Louise / Louisa
  • Lucy
  • Lulu
  • Lydia
  • Mahulda
  • Margaret / Peggie
  • Mary / Molly / Polly
  • Mary Elizabeth
  • Mary Frances
  • Martha
  • Matilda / Mattie
  • Maude
  • Maxine / Maxie
  • Mercy
  • Mildred
  • Minerva
  • Missouri
  • Myrtle
  • Nancy
  • Natalie
  • Nellie / Nelly
  • Nettie
  • Nora
  • Orpha
  • Patsy
  • Parthena
  • Permelia
  • Phoebe
  • Philomena
  • Preshea
  • Rachel
  • Rebecca / Becky
  • Rhoda / Rhody
  • Rowena
  • Rufina
  • Ruth
  • Samantha
  • Sally
  • Sarah
  • Sarah Ann
  • Sarah Elizabeth
  • Savannah
  • Selina
  • Sophronia
  • Stella
  • Theodosia / Theda
  • Vertiline / Verd
  • Victoria
  • Virginia / Ginny
  • Vivian
  • Winnifred / Winnie
  • Zona
  • Zylphia
  • Aaron
  • Abraham / Abe
  • Alan / Allen
  • Albert
  • Alexander
  • Alonzo
  • Ambrose
  • Amon
  • Amos
  • Andrew / Drew / Andy
  • Aquilla
  • Archibald / Archie
  • Arnold
  • Asa
  • August / Augustus / Gus
  • Barnabas / Barney
  • Bartholomew / Bart
  • Benjamin
  • Bennet
  • Benedict
  • Bernard
  • Bertram / Bert
  • Buford
  • Byron
  • Calvin
  • Cephas
  • Charles / Charley / Charlie
  • Christopher
  • Christopher Columbus
  • Clarence
  • Clement / Clem
  • Clinton / Clint
  • Cole
  • Columbus / Lom / Lum
  • Commodore Perry
  • Daniel / Dan
  • David
  • Edmund
  • Edward / Ned
  • Edwin
  • Eldon
  • Eli
  • Elijah
  • Elisha
  • Emmett
  • Enoch
  • Ezekiel / Zeke
  • Ezra
  • Francis / Frank
  • Franklin
  • Frederick / Fred
  • Gabriel / Gabe
  • Garrett
  • George
  • George Washington
  • Gideon
  • Gilbert / Gil
  • Granville
  • Harland
  • Harrison
  • Harold / Harry
  • Harvey
  • Henry / Hank
  • Hiram
  • Horace
  • Horatio
  • Hugh
  • Isaiah
  • Israel
  • Isaac / Ike
  • Isaac Newton
  • Jacob / Jake
  • James / Jim
  • Jasper
  • Jefferson / Jeff
  • Jedediah / Jed
  • Jeptha
  • Jesse
  • Joel
  • John / Jack
  • John Paul
  • John Wesley
  • Jonathan
  • Joseph / Josephus
  • Josiah
  • Joshua
  • Julian
  • Julius
  • Lafayette / Lafe
  • Lawrence / Larry
  • Leander
  • Les / Lester / Leslie
  • Lewis / Lew / Louis
  • Levi
  • Lucas
  • Lucian
  • Lucius
  • Luke
  • Luther
  • Louis
  • Levi
  • Lucas
  • Lucian
  • Lucius
  • Luke
  • Luther
  • Matthew
  • Marcellus
  • Mark
  • Martin
  • Martin Luther
  • Masheck
  • Maurice
  • Maxwell
  • Merrill
  • Meriwether
  • Meriwether Lewis
  • Michael / Mike
  • Micajah / Cage
  • Mordecai
  • Morgan
  • Morris
  • Nathaniel / Nathan / Nate / Nat
  • Newton / Newt
  • Nicholas / Nick
  • Nimrod
  • Ninian
  • Obediah
  • Octavius
  • Ora / Oral
  • Orville
  • Oscar
  • Owen
  • Paul
  • Patrick / Pat
  • Patrick Henry
  • Paul
  • Perry
  • Peter
  • Pleasant
  • Ralph
  • Raymond
  • Reuben
  • Robert / Bob
  • Robert Lee
  • Richard / Rich / Dick
  • Roderick
  • Rudolph
  • Rufus
  • Samuel
  • Sam Houston
  • Seth
  • Silas
  • Simon
  • Simeon
  • Stanley / Stan
  • Stephen
  • Thaddeus
  • Thomas / Tom
  • Thomas Jefferson
  • Theodore / Ted
  • Timothy / Tim
  • Ulysses
  • Uriah
  • Victor
  • Walter
  • Warren
  • Washington
  • Wilfred
  • William / Will / Bill / Billy
  • Willie
  • Zachariah
  • Zebulon
  • Zedock

Which female name and male name do you like best?

Source: Victorian Era Names, A Writer’s Guide

Popular baby names in Yukon (Canada), 1991-2015

Flag of Yukon
Flag of Yukon

Ever wonder what the top baby names in Yukon are?

Me too! So I looked them up.

Turns out the sparsely populated Canadian territory — which is next door to Alaska, larger than California, and home to only about 34,000 people — releases baby name rankings that cover 5 years at a time. So let’s roll the five most recent lists (i.e., 25 years of popular names) into a single post, shall we?

According to the Yukon Bureau of Statistics, these were the most popular baby names in the territory over the last quarter century…

From 2011 to 2015, the top baby names in Yukon were Ava and Liam:

Girl names (2011-15)Boy names (2011-15)
Ava, 13 baby girls
Emma, 12
Hannah, 12
Sophia, 10
Avery, 9
Emily, 9
Grace, 9
Amelia, 7
Aurora, 6
Ella, 6
Lily, 6
Olivia, 6
Sadie, 6
Sophie, 6		Liam, 17 baby boys
Mason, 14
Jack, 13
William, 13
Alexander, 11
Benjamin, 11
Levi, 11
Hunter, 10
Ethan, 9
Jacob, 9
Thomas, 9
Eli, 8
Gavin, 8
Noah, 8
Oliver, 8
Samuel, 8
Carter, 7
Charles, 7
Connor, 7
Jaxon, 7
Aiden, 6
Luke, 6
Owen, 6
Xavier, 6
  • From 2011 to 2015, Yukon welcomed 962 baby girls. A total of 654 girl names were bestowed, and 511 (78.1%) of those names were used only once.
  • From 2011 to 2015, Yukon welcomed 1,088 baby boys. A total of 589 boy names were bestowed, and 400 (67.9%) of those names were used only once.
  • According to the CBC, the top names in Yukon in 2015 specifically were Sophia and Jack.

From 2006 to 2010, the top baby names in Yukon were Madison and James:

Girl names (2006-10)Boy names (2006-10)
Madison, 11 baby girls
Olivia, 9
Brooklyn, 8
Emma, 8
Lily, 8
Mia, 8
Avery, 7
Chloe, 7
Isabelle, 7
Sophie, 7
Abigail, 6
Ava, 6
Ella, 6
Emily, 6
Hailey, 6
Layla, 6
Sophia, 6		James, 11 baby boys
Liam, 10
Logan, 10
Gabriel, 9
Jacob, 9
Matthew, 9
Noah, 9
Ryan, 8
Alexander, 7
Daniel, 7
Oliver, 7
Samuel, 7
William, 7
Andrew, 6
Ethan, 6
Gavin, 6
Joseph, 6
Marcus, 6
Mason, 6
Nathan, 6
Thomas, 6
Xavier, 6
  • From 2006 to 2010, Yukon welcomed 912 baby girls. A total of 601 girl names were bestowed, and 479 (79.7%) of those names were used only once.
  • From 2006 to 2010, Yukon welcomed 989 baby boys. A total of 559 boy names were bestowed, and 402 (71.9%) of those names were used only once.

From 2001 to 2005, the top baby names in Yukon were Emily and Logan:

Girl names (2001-05)Boy names (2001-05)
Emily, 13 baby girls
Hannah, 12
Emma, 11
Madison, 10
Olivia, 10
Alyssa, 7
Sarah, 7
Brooke, 6
Jessica, 6
Morgan, 6
Taylor, 6		Logan, 12 baby boys
Ethan, 11
Andrew, 10
Daniel, 10
James, 10
Joshua, 10
Tristan, 10
Cameron, 9
Jacob, 9
Adam, 8
Christopher, 8
Cole, 8
Liam, 8
Michael, 8
Nathan, 8
Nicholas, 8
Aidan, 7
Alexander, 7
Austin, 7
Jesse, 7
Justin, 7
Matthew, 7
Noah, 7
William, 7
Dylan, 6
Max, 6
Seth, 6
Thomas, 6
  • From 2001-2005, Yukon welcomed 857 baby girls. A total of 586 girl names were bestowed, and 462 (78.8%) of those names were used only once.
  • From 2001-2005, Yukon welcomed 870 baby boys. A total of 478 boy names were bestowed, and 339 (70.9%) of those names were used only once.

From 1996 to 2000, the top baby names in Yukon were Emily and Alexander:

Girl names (1996-2000)Boy names (1996-2000)
Emily, 15 baby girls
Samantha, 14
Sarah, 14
Hannah, 11
Jessica, 11
Taylor, 10
Emma, 9
Erin, 8
Jasmine, 8
Sydney, 8
Amber, 7
Julia, 7
Madison, 7
Megan, 7
Nicole, 7
Amy, 6
Brittany, 6
Chelsea, 6
Cheyenne, 6
Kathleen, 6
Lauren, 6		Alexander, 17 baby boys
Brandon, 16
Joshua, 16
Jacob, 15
Matthew, 14
Andrew, 13
Benjamin, 13
David, 12
William, 12
Jordan, 11
Kyle, 11
Tyler, 11
Dylan, 10
Michael, 10
Nathan, 10
Ryan, 10
Tristan, 10
Anthony, 9
Cody, 9
Daniel, 9
James, 9

From 1991 to 1995, the top baby names in Yukon were Ashley/Brittany/Samantha (3-way tie) and Michael:

Girl names (1991-95)Boy names (1991-95)
Ashley, 14 baby girls
Brittany, 14
Samantha, 14
Kayla, 13
Sarah, 13
Emily, 12
Jessica, 12
Heather, 10
Megan, 9
Nicole, 9
Jennifer, 8
Kaitlyn, 8
Sara, 8
Alexandra, 7
Amanda, 7
Jasmine, 7
Rebecca, 7
Christina, 6
Jenna, 6
Robyn, 6
Shelby, 6		Michael, 28 baby boys
Ryan, 19
Cody, 18
Kyle, 18
Matthew, 18
Joshua, 17
Tyler, 16
James, 15
Daniel, 14
David, 14
Logan, 14
Alexander, 13
Jordan, 13
William, 13
Benjamin, 12
Brandon, 12
John, 12
Nathan, 12
Nicholas, 11
Patrick, 11
Dylan, 10
Steven, 10

Sources: Yukon Baby Names 2001-2005 [pdf], Yukon Baby Names 2006-2010 [pdf], Baby Names in Yukon, 2011–2015 [pdf]

Image: Adapted from Flag of Yukon (public domain)

[Latest update: Jul. 2022]