August vs Samuel
August 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.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, August was ranked #94 and Samuel #38 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, August was ranked #317 and Samuel #60 among boys in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, August was ranked #404 and Samuel #64 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, August was ranked #209 and Samuel #69 among boys in Scotland.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, August was ranked #71 and Samuel #75 among boys in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, August was ranked #468 and Samuel #76 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
August and Samuel over time
August and Samuel appear together in 2 published lists, across 63 years of shared records. Samuel held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, August in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Samuel reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and August in none. 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
August and Samuel changed places 5 times in Norway · Boys between 1974 and 2025, ending at #71 and #75.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 39 shared years in Norway · Boys, August and Samuel averaged 55.9 places apart, ending at #71 and #75.
- Longest-running competitions
August and Samuel were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 39 years, from 1974 to 2025, ending at #71 and #75.
List by list
Norway · Boys39 shared years, 1974–2025
August held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Samuel in 27.
Highest recorded here: August #71 in 2025, Samuel #44 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: August #71, Samuel #75.
England and Wales · Boys24 shared years, 1996–2024
August held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Samuel in 24.
Highest recorded here: August #317 in 2024, Samuel #6 in 2004.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: August #317, Samuel #60.
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 | August | 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 | /ˈsæmjuːəl/ | |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #71 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #38 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 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); August does not have one recorded yet.
- August and Samuel both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Samuel; August doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO.
How each name got here
August
Popularity journey
First recorded1974
First recorded at #596 among boys in Norway in 1974 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1974–2025
Highest recorded position: #71 among boys in Norway, in 2025 (recorded 1974–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #71 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