2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Samari
A surname indicating origins for those living in or near Samaria.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Samari. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Samari 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.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Samari in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Samari, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (10.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Samari
The surname "SAMARI" is believed to have originated in Italy, with its roots dating back to the medieval period. The name is thought to be derived from the Latin word "Samarius," which translates to "from Samnium," an ancient region located in southern Italy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Cava de' Tirreni monastery in Campania, Italy. This compilation includes a reference to a nobleman named Robertus Samari, who lived in the 11th century.
During the Renaissance, the Samari family established a presence in the city of Florence, where they played a notable role in the arts and politics of the time. One prominent member was Antonio Samari (1450-1527), a renowned painter and sculptor who contributed to the decoration of several churches in the city.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in records from the Kingdom of Naples, where a branch of the Samari family resided. Notably, Gian Battista Samari (1620-1692) was a highly respected jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the royal court.
The Samari name also found its way to the Americas during the great Italian migration of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One of the earliest immigrants bearing this surname was Vincenzo Samari (1865-1938), who settled in New York City and worked as a stonemason, contributing to the construction of many iconic buildings in the city.
Another noteworthy individual with the Samari surname was Marcello Samari (1890-1962), an Italian-American musician and composer. Born in Calabria, he immigrated to the United States and became known for his compositions that blended traditional Italian folk melodies with American jazz influences.
Throughout history, the Samari surname has been associated with various occupations, from artists and scholars to tradesmen and craftsmen. While its precise origins may be shrouded in the mists of time, the name has left an indelible mark across centuries and continents, reflecting the rich tapestry of Italian heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Samari
Among Census respondents with the surname Samari, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (10.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Samari 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 Samari surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.1% · 76
- Black or African American10.4% · 12
- Two or more races10.4% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino8.7% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Samari
Samari appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+14 bearers (+13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,955 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.9%) | Up 13,955 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 Samari 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 | #159,712 | #145,757 | 8.7% |
| Count | 101 | 115 | 13.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 28.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Samari bearers went from 101 to 115 (+13.9% change). The surname moved up 13,955 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #145,757.
FAQ
Samari surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Samari?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Samari. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Samari?
Samari ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Samari. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Samari.
Has Samari become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Samari went from 101 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 14 (+13.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Samari?
Among Census respondents with the surname Samari, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (10.4%). 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 Samari in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.1% (76 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Samari appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.1%), Black (10.4%), Two or More Races (10.4%). 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 Samari (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 Samari mean?
A surname indicating origins for those living in or near Samaria. 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 Samari (0.04 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 Samari?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Samari on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.