Rudolf vs Samuel
Rudolf 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 2023, Rudolf was ranked #3523 and Samuel #62 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 1977, Rudolf was ranked #562 and Samuel #269 among boys in Norway.
Rudolf and Samuel over time
Rudolf and Samuel appear together in 2 published lists, across 32 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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
Rudolf and Samuel changed places 9 times in Norway · Boys between 1947 and 1977, ending at #562 and #269.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Boys within 2 years — Rudolf #226 in 1948, Samuel #251 in 1950.
List by list
Norway · Boys18 shared years, 1947–1977
Rudolf held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Samuel in 8.
Highest recorded here: Rudolf #226 in 1948, Samuel #251 in 1950.
The order changed in 1976: Samuel moved ahead. In 1975 they stood at #521 and #523; by 1976 that had become #621 and #260.
Most recent shared year, 1977: Rudolf #562, Samuel #269.
England and Wales · Boys14 shared years, 2004–2023
Rudolf held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Samuel in 14.
Highest recorded here: Rudolf #3011 in 2018, Samuel #6 in 2004.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Rudolf #3523, Samuel #62.
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 | Rudolf | 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 | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Boys #3523 (2023) | 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) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Samuel has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Samouel); Rudolf does not have one recorded yet.
- Rudolf and Samuel both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Samuel; Rudolf doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Rudolf
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #220 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–1977
Highest recorded position: #220 among boys in Norway, in 1945 (recorded 1945–1977).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2023
Most recently recorded at #3523 among boys in England and Wales, in 2023.
England and Wales · 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