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.

Belgium

Dutch

● 1597x1598 Samuel BoonenGes p. 352

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; 1573 Samuel ibid. Huijs; 1574 Samuel ibid. Donghen; 1575 Samuel ibid. Kempe; 1577 Samuel ibid. Bent; 1579 Samuel ibid. Bree; 1580 Samuel ibid. Clerx; 1581 Samuel ibid. Daele; 1582 Samuel ibid. Drossaert; 1585 Samuel ibid. Lauwers; 1586 Samuel ibid. Backer; 1587 Samuel ibid. Adriaensz; 1588 Samuel ibid. Godschalck; 1589 Samuel ibid. Begnorts; 1590 Samuel ibid. Grurius; 1591 Samuel ibid. Cliever; 1592 Samuel ibid. Berghe; 1593 Samuel ibid. Potter; 1594 Samuel ibid. Adriaensz; 1596 Samuel ibid. Burlij; 1597 Samuel ibid. Dries; 1598 Samuel ibid. Damme; 1599 Samuel ibid. Marsgan

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 bruton1 p. 39; 1572 Samuel RegPat p. 31, Samuell StAnthonlin p. 22; 1573 Samuel RegPat p. 32, Samuell StAnthonlin p. 23; 1575 Samuell ibid. p. 24; 1577 Samuell ibid. p. 25; 1578 Samuell ibid. p. 26; 1579 Samuell ibid. p. 27; 1581/2 Samuell RegBath p. 5; 1583 Samuell ibid. p. 5; 1583/4 Samuell SurMus p. 22; 1584 Samuell StAnthonlin p. 30, SurMus p. 190, Samvell ibid. p. 192; 1586 Samuell RegBath p. 7, RegBisham p. 29, StAnthonlin p. 32; 1587 Samuel DEmar-vol2 p. 13, Samuell OrpingtonKe p. 8; 1588 Samuel bruton1 p. 117; 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, bruton1 p. 125; 1598 Samwell CAmar-vol1 p. 6; 1599 Samuel DEmar-vol2 p. 42, Samuell StAnthonlin p. 39

Middle French

● 1568 Samuel WCS p. 39; 1570 Samuel ibid. p. 40; 1574 Samuel ibid. p. 10; 1575 samuel ibid. p. 11; 1577 Samuel ibid. p. 43; 1578 Samuel ibid. p. 44; 1579 samuel ibid. p. 15; 1582 Samuel ibid. p. 17; 1583 Samuel ibid. p. 46; 1584 Samuel ibid. p. 104; 1585 Samuel ibid. p. 88; 1587 Samuel ibid. p. 47; 1588 Samuel ibid. p. 47; 1590 Samuel ibid. p. 49; 1592 Samuel ibid. p. 50; 1594 Samuel ibid. p. 50; 1595 Samuel ibid. p. 51; 1596 Samuel ibid. p. 52

Walloon

● 1581 Samuel RWC p. 3; 1582 Samuel ibid. p. 4; 1583 Samuel ibid. p. 7; 1584 Samuel ibid. p. 9; 1590 Samuel ibid. p. 13; 1590/1 Samuel ibid. p. 15; 1591 Samuel ibid. p. 17; 1591/2 Samuel ibid. p. 19; 1592 Samuel ibid. p. 20; 1592/3 Samuel ibid. p. 25; 1593/4 Samuel ibid. p. 31; 1593 Samuel ibid. p. 564; 1594 Samuel ibid. p. 32; 1594/5 Samuel ibid. p. 35; 1595 Samuel ibid. p. 36; 1595/6 Samuel ibid. p. 40; 1596 Samuel ibid. p. 42; 1596/7 Samuel ibid. p. 44; 1597 Samuel ibid. p. 46; 1597/8 Samuel ibid. p. 48; 1598 Samuel ibid. p. 49; 1598/9 Samuel ibid. p. 50; 1599 Samuel ibid. p. 51

Finland

Early Modern Swedish

● 1582 Samuel (nom) Audén1980 p. 172

France

Latin

● c823 Samuel (nom) irminon-vol2 61; fin11thC Samuelis (gen) St-Barnard-Romans no. 154

Middle French

● 1528 Samuel Subsidy1528 p. 172; 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

The Netherlands

Latin

● 854 Samuele (abl) OrkGZ no. 43