Shmiel is the Yiddish form of Samuel, from the Hebrew Shmuel, which means "God has heard" or, by another reading, "name of God". The biblical Samuel anointed the first kings of Israel, and the Yiddish form is used in Hasidic communities in New York and New Jersey. In US statistics Shmiel ranked number 4181 in 2000 and has edged upward since, reaching number 2249 in 2025, its best position so far.