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Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources

Samuel m. Origin disputed, either Hebrew שְׁמוּאֵל 'name of God' or Hebrew שְׁמוּאֵל 'God has heard'.

The eponymous character of two Old Testament books, a 7th C Coptic saint, a 10th-11th C tsar of Bulgaria, and an 11th C king of Hungary. Wycliffite Bible (1395): Samuel.

The name was not common in England before the Protestant Reformation, and was never common at all elsewhere.

England
Latin
1189 Samuel (nom) GASurv p. 129
Early Modern English
1550 Samuell StAnthonlin p. 8; 1552 Samuell ibid. p. 9; 1559 Samuell ibid. p. 13; 1564 Samuell ibid. p. 17; 1570 Samuel bruton-vol1 p. 39; 1572 Samuell StAnthonlin p. 22; 1573 Samuell ibid. p. 23; 1575 Samuell ibid. p. 24; 1577 Samuell ibid. p. 25; 1578 Samuell ibid. p. 26; 1579 Samuell ibid. p. 27; 1584 Samuell ibid. p. 30; 1586 Samuell ibid. p. 32; 1587 Samuel DEmar-vol2 p. 13, Samuell OrpingtonKe p. 8; 1589 Samuell CAmar-vol1 p. 130; 1590 Samuell BEmar-vol1 p. 14, CAmar-vol1 p. 4; 1591 Samuell OrpingtonKe p. 8; 1593 Samuel DEmar-vol2 p. 26; 1594 Samewell CAmar-vol1 p. 5; 1595 Samuel BUmar-vol9 p. 9; 1597 Samuel DEmar-vol2 p. 36; 1598 Samwell CAmar-vol1 p. 6; 1599 Samuel DEmar-vol2 p. 42, Samuell StAnthonlin p. 39
Finland
Early Modern Swedish
1582 Samuel (nom) Audén1980 p. 172
France
Latin
c823 Samuel (nom) irminon-vol2 61
Middle French
1589 Samuel raymond1588 p. 572
Germany
Latin
847 Samuele (abl) HambUrk-vol1 XII; 1217 Samuelis (gen) quix-vol1 71
Italy
Latin
1376 Samuele (abl) DouGen1 p. 61
Cite as: R. Le Get, S.L. Uckelman. "Samuel". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2015, no. 3. http://dmnes.org/2015/3/name/Samuel.