Shmuel is the Hebrew form of Samuel, a name that is traditionally explained as "God has heard" or "name of God"; Hannah gave it to the son she had prayed for, who grew up to be the prophet who anointed Saul and David. The spelling is used in Orthodox Jewish families, usually with the Yiddish nickname Shmuli. Shmuel hovered around number 1000 for a decade, entered the top 1000 in 2022 at number 919, which remains its peak, and ranks 923rd in 2025.