2000
#3,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,053
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.73
Uncommon Last name
Samson
Derived from the Hebrew name Shimshon, meaning "man of the sun" or "sun child," an Old Testament biblical name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,718 Americans carry the last name Samson. That puts it at #2,944 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,986 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Samson 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Samson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,986
Census rank
#2,944
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,963 bearers of the surname Samson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2944th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Samson, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (23.6%) and Black (11.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Samson
The surname Samson originated in England during the late medieval period. It is derived from the personal name Samuel, which itself comes from the Hebrew name Shemu'el, meaning "name of God" or "heard by God". The surname is thought to have first emerged as a patronymic, meaning "son of Samuel".
Early records show the surname spelled in various ways, including Samson, Sampson, and Sansom. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where it appears as Sampson.
The Samson surname is also linked to several place names in England, such as Sampson's Croft in Gloucestershire and Sampson's Orchard in Somerset. These place names likely originated from individuals named Samson who once owned or lived in those locations.
During the Middle Ages, the name Samson was associated with strength and power, likely due to the biblical figure Samson, known for his extraordinary physical strength. This association may have contributed to the surname's popularity.
Notable individuals with the surname Samson throughout history include:
1. Richard Samson (c. 1515-1585), an English philosopher and academic who served as the Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge.
2. Sir Henry Samson (1604-1679), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Doncaster during the English Civil War.
3. Henry Samson (1692-1743), an English architect and surveyor who worked on several notable buildings in London, including the Charterhouse.
4. William Samson (1718-1796), an English writer and author of several works on agriculture and rural life.
5. Deborah Samson (1760-1827), an American woman who disguised herself as a man and served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War under the name Robert Shurtliff.
The Samson surname continues to be found throughout England, as well as in other parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns of those bearing this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Samson
Among Census respondents with the surname Samson, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (23.6%) and Black (11.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Samson 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 Samson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.0% · 6,703
- Asian and Pacific Islander23.6% · 2,822
- Black or African American11.2% · 1,345
- Two or more races4.3% · 517
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 479
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 97
Timeline
Historical Census data for Samson
Samson 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
#3,246
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,123
+1,070 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 3.77
Rank movement Up 19 places
2020
#2,944
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,963
+840 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 4.00
Rank movement Up 302 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,265 | 10,053 | 3.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,246 | 11,123 | 3.77 | +1,070 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 19 places |
| 2020 | #2,944 | 11,963 | 4.00 | +840 bearers (+7.6%) | Up 302 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 Samson 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 | #3,246 | #2,944 | 9.3% |
| Count | 11,123 | 11,963 | 7.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.77 | 4.00 | 6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Samson bearers went from 11,123 to 11,963 (+7.6% change). The surname moved up 302 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,246 to #2,944.
FAQ
Samson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Samson?
Name Census estimates that about 13,718 living Americans carry the surname Samson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,986 residents.
How common is Samson?
Samson ranks #2,944 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,963 people with the surname Samson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,718), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Samson.
Has Samson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Samson went from 11,123 recorded bearers to 11,963. That is an increase of 840 (+7.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,246 to #2,944.
What does the Census say about the background of Samson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Samson, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (23.6%) and Black (11.2%). 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 Samson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.0% (6,703 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Samson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (23.6%), Black (11.2%). 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 Samson (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 Samson mean?
Derived from the Hebrew name Shimshon, meaning "man of the sun" or "sun child," an Old Testament biblical name. 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 Samson (4.00 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 Samson?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Samson, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.