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

Samb, 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 Samb surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Samb in America

Samb is the 70833rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Samb surname appeared 276 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 Samb.

We can also compare 2010 data for Samb 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.

The history of the last name Samb

The surname SAMB is believed to have originated from the French word "sambu," which means "elder tree." This name can be traced back to the 12th century in the region of Normandy, France. It is likely that the name was initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived near an elder tree or grove.

During the Middle Ages, the name SAMB appeared in various records and documents in Normandy. One of the earliest recorded instances was in the Cartulaire de l'église de Notre-Dame de Rouen, a manuscript from the 13th century, which mentions a "Robert de Samb."

As the name spread across Europe, different spellings emerged, such as Saumbe, Saumbye, and Saumby. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and scribal errors in transcribing the name.

In England, the name SAMB can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which recorded landowners and their holdings. This suggests that individuals with this surname may have been among the Norman settlers who arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

One notable figure with the surname SAMB was Jean de Samb, a French nobleman and military commander who served under King Charles VII during the Hundred Years' War in the 15th century. He played a significant role in the Siege of Orléans and the subsequent victories against the English.

Another prominent individual was Guillemine de Samb, a 16th-century French noblewoman and landowner. She was known for her philanthropy and her support of the arts and literature in her region.

In the 17th century, the name SAMB appeared in records from the Netherlands, where it was sometimes spelled as "Sambe." One notable Dutch bearer of this name was Pieter Samb, a merchant and ship owner who lived in Amsterdam in the mid-1600s.

Moving to the 18th century, we find Thomas Samb, an English writer and poet who was born in 1745 and published several collections of poetry during his lifetime.

In the 19th century, the name SAMB was found in various parts of Europe, including Germany, where it was sometimes spelled as "Sambach." One notable German figure with this surname was Johann Samb, a philosopher and academic who lived from 1812 to 1888 and wrote extensively on ethics and moral philosophy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Samb

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

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 Samb was:

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 Samb has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Samb was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!