שְׁמוּאֵל, Shmu’el, Šəmûʼēl, Σαμουηλ, شموئيل
People keep asking… why did you choose Samuel as your kid’s name?
Here it goes:
1) Our family’s deep and heart-felt sympathy for the Jewish people.
2) We like the name, and it’s common in many languages.
3) It’s the name of several historical figures that we hope can inspire our son:
- Samuel Longhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain: in my opinion the best American novelist ever. Reading Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of my best childhood memories.
- Samuel Finley Breese Morse: painter and inventor extraordinaire.
- Samuel Pepys: self-made businessman, famed chronicler, father of the Royal Navy and publisher of Newton’s Principia.
- Samuel Johnson: author and lexicographer, creator of the Dictionary of the English Language. He rests in Westminster Abbey.
- And above all, Samuel Adams: A patriot, he organized the American revolution and signed the Declaration of Independence.
So there.
