2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sammann
A German surname derived from "samen", meaning seed or grain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Sammann. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sammann 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Sammann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sammann, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sammann
The surname Sammann is believed to have originated in Germany, primarily in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. Its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century.
One of the earliest known references to the name Sammann can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae," a collection of historical documents from Saxony, which mentions a certain "Hermannus Sammann" in the year 1285.
The name Sammann is thought to have derived from the Old German word "sam," meaning "together" or "assembled," which suggests that the name may have been initially used to refer to a person who lived in a communal settlement or a gathering place.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records across different regions of Germany, such as the "Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis" from Brandenburg, which mentions a "Johannes Sammann" in 1363.
During the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance period, the name Sammann was also found in other parts of Europe, particularly in areas with strong German influence or migration. For instance, a "Petrus Sammann" was recorded in the "Chartularium Studii Bononiensis" from Bologna, Italy, in 1412.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Sammann was Hans Sammann, a prominent merchant and city councilor who lived in Nuremberg, Germany, in the late 15th century (born around 1450, died in 1512).
Another notable figure was Johann Sammann, a Lutheran theologian and reformer from Saxony, who lived in the 16th century (born in 1518, died in 1576). He was known for his work in promoting the Protestant Reformation in Germany.
In the 17th century, the name Sammann appeared in various church records and population registers across different regions of Germany. For example, a "Johannes Sammann" was recorded in the parish records of Erfurt, Thuringia, in 1632.
During the 18th century, the Sammann surname was also found in other parts of Europe, such as the Netherlands and Switzerland, likely due to migration and trade connections with Germany.
One notable bearer of the name during this period was Johann Friedrich Sammann, a German composer and organist who lived in Saxony in the late 18th century (born in 1756, died in 1809).
In the 19th century, the name Sammann continued to be prevalent in various German-speaking regions, with records showing individuals with this surname in cities like Berlin, Dresden, and Munich.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sammann
Among Census respondents with the surname Sammann, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sammann 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 Sammann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 113
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sammann
Sammann 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,898 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,871 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,898 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 4,871 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 Sammann 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 | #140,157 | #145,028 | -3.5% |
| Count | 119 | 116 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sammann bearers went from 119 to 116 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 4,871 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #145,028.
FAQ
Sammann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sammann?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Sammann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Sammann?
Sammann ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Sammann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Sammann.
Has Sammann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sammann went from 119 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Sammann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sammann, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Sammann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sammann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Two or More Races (1.7%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Sammann (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 Sammann mean?
A German surname derived from "samen", meaning seed or grain. 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 Sammann (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 are called Sammann?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Sammann at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.