Samuels
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Samuel,” used by both Jewish and Christian families in England.
The #1,621 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 13,903 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Samuels is an English patronymic formed from the personal name Samuel, with the ending -s indicating “son of.” The underlying biblical name Samuel comes from Hebrew, traditionally understood as meaning something like “heard by God,” though the exact sense has been discussed in different ways. In surname use, Samuels simply identifies a person as descended from or associated with someone named Samuel.
History
Historical surname dictionaries note that Samuels was not confined to Jewish families; it also appears among English Christian bearers. Related spellings and offshoots such as Samwell and Samuelson show the same base name in slightly different forms. The surname is well established in Britain and later spread widely in English-speaking countries, including the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Nineteenth-century surname writers specifically pointed out that Samuels was common enough among Christians that it could not be treated as a purely Jewish surname.
From the historical record
“SAM U ELLS "lc,„„„r.c/Q„„\ 1 SAMUELS ] Samuels (Son) [, SAMUELSON, Samuel's Son SAMWELL for Samuel, q.v. SANBORN I etymologically more correct SAN BURN J forms than Sambopne, q.v. SANCTON (Eng.) Bel. to Sancton (Yorks), 13th cent. Sancton, Domesday Santon, Santun, Santune [O.E. twK.enclosure, village:”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)