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Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources
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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. Early English examples are often (but not exclusively) the names of Jews.

England
Latin
● 1185x1186 Samuel (nom) PR-XXXVI p. 4; 1189 Samuel (nom) GASurv p. 129; 1340xc1450 Samuellus (nom) CovGuild-1 p. 70
Dutch
● 1571 Samuel AuFr Cornelis; 1572 Samuel ibid. Artis; 1574 Samuel ibid. Donghen; 1577 Samuel ibid. Bent; 1579 Samuel ibid. Bree; 1580 Samuel ibid. Clerx; 1581 Samuel ibid. Daele; 1582 Samuel ibid. Drossaert; 1586 Samuel ibid. Backer; 1587 Samuel ibid. Adriaensz; 1589 Samuel ibid. Begnorts; 1591 Samuel ibid. Cliever; 1592 Samuel ibid. Berghe; 1594 Samuel ibid. Adriaensz; 1596 Samuel ibid. Burlij; 1597 Samuel ibid. Dries; 1598 Samuel ibid. Damme
Early Modern English
● 1550 Samuell StAnthonlin p. 8; 1552 Samuell ibid. p. 9; 1559 Samuell ibid. p. 13; 1564 Samuell ibid. p. 17; 1567 Samuell RegBisham p. 2; 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, RegFord p. 1; 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
● 1563 Samuel RegPCC-1 p. 27; 1564 Samuel ibid. p. 53; 1566 Samuel ibid. p. 206; 1567 Samuel ibid. p. 302; 1568 Samuel ibid. p. 402; 1570 Samuel ibid. p. 422; 1571 Samuel ibid. p. 436; 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 2016, no. 3. http://dmnes.org/2016/3/name/Samuel.