Abdullah vs Samuel
Abdullah and Samuelcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Abdullah was ranked #147 and Samuel #60 among boys in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Abdullah was ranked #404 and Samuel #64 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Abdullah was ranked #246 and Samuel #69 among boys in Scotland.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Abdullah was ranked #308 and Samuel #75 among boys in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Abdullah was ranked #272 and Samuel #76 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Abdullah and Samuel over time
Abdullah and Samuel appear together in 3 published lists, across 120 years of shared records. Samuel held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Abdullah in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Samuel reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Abdullah in 1. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Abdullah and Samuel changed places 9 times in Norway · Boys between 1954 and 2025, ending at #308 and #75.
- Longest-running competitions
Abdullah and Samuel were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 64 years, from 1954 to 2025, ending at #308 and #75.
List by list
Norway · Boys64 shared years, 1954–2025
Abdullah held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Samuel in 55.
Highest recorded here: Abdullah #186 in 1999, Samuel #44 in 2019.
The order changed in 1976: Samuel moved ahead. In 1975 they stood at #480 and #505; by 1976 that had become #502 and #260.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Abdullah #308, Samuel #75.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Abdullah held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Samuel in 29.
Highest recorded here: Abdullah #146 in 2015, Samuel #6 in 2004.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Abdullah #147, Samuel #60.
Republic of Ireland · Boys27 shared years, 1996–2025
Abdullah held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Samuel in 27.
Highest recorded here: Abdullah #272 in 2025, Samuel #33 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Abdullah #272, Samuel #76.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Abdullah | Samuel |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Traditionally rendered as 'name of God', though also popularly interpreted as 'God has heard' — sources differ on which root is emphasised. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Samouel |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈsæmjuːəl/ |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #272 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #38 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Samuel has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Samouel); Abdullah does not have one recorded yet.
- Abdullah has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Samuel.
- A meaning is recorded for Samuel; Abdullah doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Abdullah
Popularity journey
First recorded1954
First recorded at #403 among boys in Norway in 1954 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #146 among boys in England and Wales, in 2015 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #308 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Samuel
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #339 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1967–2023
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in New Zealand, in 1998 (recorded 1967–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #38 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys