Samuel

In the Christian tradition

Samuel is the prophet whose birth comes through Hannah's prayer (1 Samuel 1-2) and who anoints both Saul and David as king. The name has been in continuous Christian use across the centuries; modern English-speaking Christian families use it freely.

Samuel's call as a young boy in the temple at Shiloh ("Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening," 1 Samuel 3:9) is one of the principal Old Testament texts on the calling of a child to ministry. The figure bridges the period of the judges and the period of the kings; the prophet anoints the first two kings of Israel. The Catholic and Orthodox calendars commemorate Samuel on August 20. The name has been in continuous Christian use; modern English-speaking Christian families across the traditions use it freely, with particular popularity in Protestant and Evangelical practice.