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

Samples, 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 Samples surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Samples in America

Samples is the 4099th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Samples surname appeared 8,663 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Samples.

We can also compare 2010 data for Samples 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 Samples

The surname SAMPLES originated in England during the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "saan" meaning "sandy" and "hyll" meaning "hill", referring to a person who lived on or near a sandy hill or dune. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Samhille".

The name SAMPLES first appeared in the counties of Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Yorkshire, where the sandy soil and rolling hills provided suitable environments for settlements. In the 13th century, records show a Robert de Samhille living in Lincolnshire. A similar spelling, "Samhyll", is documented in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.

During the 14th century, the name began to spread across England, with notable bearers including John Samhill, a merchant from York, born in 1320, and William Samphill, a landholder in Nottinghamshire, born in 1375.

In the 16th century, the name underwent further spelling variations, such as "Sampyll", "Sampell", and "Sampels". One of the earliest recorded instances of the modern spelling "SAMPLES" is found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, where a baptism of Thomas SAMPLES is recorded in 1587.

Notable individuals with the surname SAMPLES include:

1. Sir John SAMPLES (1610-1672), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire.
2. Mary SAMPLES (1674-1738), an English botanist and herbalist known for her contributions to the study of medicinal plants.
3. William SAMPLES (1772-1848), a Scottish-born American entrepreneur and co-founder of the city of Cincinnati, Ohio.
4. Elizabeth SAMPLES (1804-1890), an American educator and advocate for women's rights, who established one of the first schools for girls in Pennsylvania.
5. Charles SAMPLES (1876-1942), a British explorer and naturalist who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions and published works on the flora and fauna of the polar regions.

The surname SAMPLES has a rich history spanning several centuries, originating from the geographical features of medieval England and eventually spreading across the British Isles and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Samples

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

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

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

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