Meaning and background
The story behind Samuels
Samuels is principally an inherited surname rather than the plural of several people called Samuel. A dictionary of family names records English and Ashkenazi Jewish histories in which Samuel acquired a final -s, sometimes functioning as a genitival ending. As a pet name, it stands apart from the shorter Sam or Sammy, but its surname history should not be collapsed into a single Hebrew translation. The underlying personal name Samuel has its own disputed etymology.
- Origin
- English and Ashkenazi Jewish surname based on Samuel with a genitival or later added -s. Source
Try Samuels out loud
Everyday moments“Samuels, come here!”
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About Samuels
Recorded as a dog’s name
Samuels appears in 4 dog licence records in the 2022 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/sæmjuəlz/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/sæmjuəlz/ · primary stress on syllable 1S AE1 M Y UW0 AH0 L Z
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.