Samvel - From Hebrew name Samuel "appointed by God", "tribute to God". According to Hyubshman this name means "god heard" ("Arm. Gram." - 335). The form Samuel appeared in XIX c. under the influence of Raffi's "Samvel" novel. Now only the form Samvel is used from which the surname Samvelyan is formed.
Avakyan - is a name of Armenian origin. It derives from the Armenian word avag, meaning "oldest", perhaps signifying that a male ancestor was a prominent individual in his community. It may also mean "son of Avak".