2000
#9,684
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,077
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Salmons
An English surname derived from the Old English word "sealh," referring to a person who lived near a willow tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,381 Americans carry the last name Salmons. That puts it at #10,401 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,377 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salmons surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Salmons with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 101,377
Census rank
#10,401
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,948 bearers of the surname Salmons in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10401st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salmons
The surname Salmons has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "salor," which means "sallow" or "dark-complexioned." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone with a darker complexion.
One of the earliest references to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Salamon" in the county of Norfolk. The surname also appears in various other medieval records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where it is spelled as "Salemon."
The Salmons surname is closely associated with several place names in England, particularly in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. For instance, the village of Salmons Loke in Norfolk is believed to have derived its name from the surname itself, suggesting that the Salmons family had a significant presence in the area.
Notable individuals bearing the Salmons surname include John Salmons (c. 1540-1606), an English Protestant reformer and scholar who served as the Master of the Savoy Hospital in London. Another notable figure is William Salmons (1624-1676), an English clergyman and author who published several religious works during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, Thomas Salmons (1714-1785) was a prominent English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Horse Guards Parade and the Admiralty Screen. His son, William Salmons (1754-1828), followed in his footsteps and became an architect as well, working on various projects in London and the surrounding areas.
Moving into the 19th century, William Salmons (1825-1892) was a renowned English landscape painter who specialized in depicting rural scenes and countryside landscapes. His works were highly acclaimed and can be found in several art galleries and private collections around the world.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals bearing the Salmons surname throughout history, highlighting the name's rich heritage and its enduring presence across various fields and professions in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salmons
Among Census respondents with the surname Salmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Salmons bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Salmons surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 2,710
- Two or more races3.6% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 71
- Black or African American1.4% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salmons
Salmons appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,329
+252 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 52 places
2020
#10,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,948
-381 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 665 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,684 | 3,077 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,736 | 3,329 | 1.13 | +252 bearers (+8.2%) | Down 52 places |
| 2020 | #10,401 | 2,948 | 0.99 | -381 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 665 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Salmons surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,736 | #10,401 | -6.8% |
| Count | 3,329 | 2,948 | -11.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.13 | 0.99 | -12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salmons bearers went from 3,329 to 2,948 (-11.4% change). The surname moved down 665 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,736 to #10,401.
FAQ
Salmons surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salmons?
Name Census estimates that about 3,381 living Americans carry the surname Salmons. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,377 residents.
How common is Salmons?
Salmons ranks #10,401 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,948 people with the surname Salmons. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,381), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Salmons.
Has Salmons become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salmons went from 3,329 recorded bearers to 2,948. That is a decrease of 381 (-11.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,736 to #10,401.
What does the Census say about the background of Salmons?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Salmons in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (2,710 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salmons appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Salmons (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Salmons mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English word "sealh," referring to a person who lived near a willow tree. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Salmons (0.99 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Salmons?
You can see how many people are called Salmons on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.