Sanson
A French masculine name derived from the Hebrew name Samson, meaning "sun child".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Sanson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sanson today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sanson births was 2020 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sanson. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sanson. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2020
5 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,985
Tracked since 2020
Popularity
Sanson: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Sanson by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Sanson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Sanson
The name Sanson is of French origin, derived from the Latin name Sanctus, meaning "holy" or "saintly." It first emerged in the medieval period, likely as a shortened form of the French name Sansone, which itself derived from the Italian name Sansone, a variant of the biblical name Samson.
The biblical figure Samson, known for his great strength and heroic exploits, is believed to have influenced the popularity of this name in Christian cultures. The name Sanson may have been used as a way to honor the biblical hero while adapting it to the linguistic conventions of the French language.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sanson dates back to the 12th century, when a French knight named Sanson de Beaumarchais was mentioned in historical records from the time of the Crusades. This early usage suggests that the name was already established in France by that time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Sanson. One of the most famous was Charles-Henri Sanson (1739-1806), the last in a long line of executioners who served the French monarchy. He was responsible for carrying out the executions of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution.
Another notable figure was Sanson Carrasco (1552-1629), a Spanish writer and poet who is best known for his satirical novel "Don Quixote de la Mancha," which he co-authored with Miguel de Cervantes. This work is considered a masterpiece of Spanish literature and a pioneering work in the development of the modern novel.
In the field of art, Sanson Navarrete (1619-1667) was a renowned Spanish painter of the Baroque period, known for his religious works and portraits. His paintings can be found in various churches and museums throughout Spain.
Sanson Flemming (1605-1670) was a Dutch mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of optics and the development of the telescope. He is credited with discovering several astronomical phenomena and improving the design of telescopic lenses.
Finally, Sanson de Abbeville (c. 1180-c. 1235) was a French poet and trouvère (a composer and singer of secular monophonic songs) from the region of Picardy. He is known for his contributions to the tradition of courtly love poetry in medieval France.
People
Sanson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sanson as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sanson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sanson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sanson going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Sanson a common name?
We classify Sanson as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sanson most popular?
The single biggest year for Sanson was 2020, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sanson is about 5 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Sanson in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sanson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sanson in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Sanson still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sanson in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Sanson can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Sanson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.