Samar last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Samar is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Samar.

Meaning of Samar

A North Indian surname thought to originate from the Sanskrit word samara meaning battle or war.

Samar, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Samar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Samar in America

Samar is the 65424th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Samar surname appeared 303 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Samar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Samar to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 65424 70052 -6.83%
Count 303 261 14.89%
Proportion per 100k 0.10 0.10 0.00%

The history of the last name Samar

The surname SAMAR originated in India and is primarily found in the northern regions of the country. It is believed to have its roots in the Sanskrit word "samara," which means "battle" or "war." This suggests that the name may have been associated with warriors or military personnel in ancient times.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SAMAR can be traced back to the 16th century in the region of present-day Uttar Pradesh. It is mentioned in a manuscript detailing the exploits of a local ruler named Samar Singh, who was known for his bravery and military prowess.

During the Mughal era, the name SAMAR gained prominence as several individuals with this surname held influential positions in the imperial court. One notable example is Mirza Samar, who served as a commander in the army of Emperor Akbar (1542-1605) and played a crucial role in various military campaigns.

In the 18th century, the SAMAR surname was found among the ruling clans of the Rajput community in Rajasthan. Maharaja Samar Singh of Jaisalmer (1708-1754) was a prominent figure who extended the boundaries of his kingdom and was known for his administrative reforms.

Another historical figure with the SAMAR surname was Rai Samar Singh (1810-1874), a renowned poet and scholar from Uttar Pradesh. His literary works, which included poetry and translations, contributed significantly to the cultural heritage of the region.

In more recent times, Sardar Samar Singh (1892-1962) was a prominent politician and freedom fighter from Punjab. He played an active role in the Indian independence movement and later served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India.

Throughout history, the surname SAMAR has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including warriors, rulers, poets, and political leaders. While the name's origins can be traced back to ancient India, it has since spread to other parts of the world, reflecting the diverse and rich cultural heritage of the subcontinent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Samar

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Samar.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Samar was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 58.09% 176
Non-Hispanic Black Only 8.91% 27
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 22.44% 68
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 6.93% 21
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Samar has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 58.09% 62.45% -7.23%
Black 8.91% 3.07% 97.50%
Asian and Pacific Islander 22.44% 19.92% 11.90%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races 6.93% 11.11% -46.34%
Hispanic (S)% 3.45% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Samar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Samar, please contact us.

Reference this page

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"Samar last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on April 26, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/samar-surname-popularity/.

"Samar last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/samar-surname-popularity/. Accessed 26 April, 2025

Samar last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/samar-surname-popularity/.

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