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

Samuelson, 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 Samuelson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Samuelson in America

Samuelson is the 4532nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Samuelson surname appeared 7,824 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 Samuelson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Samuelson 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 Samuelson

The surname Samuelson originated in Sweden and dates back to the 17th century. It is a patronymic name, meaning it was initially derived from the first name of the father, in this case Samuel. The addition of "son" indicates "son of Samuel." The name Samuel itself has Hebrew origins, meaning "name of God" or "God has heard."

During the 17th and 18th centuries, many Swedes adopted surnames based on their father's first name or their place of residence. Samuelson became a common surname in various parts of Sweden, particularly in the regions of Västergötland, Småland, and Östergötland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Samuelson can be found in the Swedish church records from the late 17th century. For example, the birth of Johan Samuelson was registered in Västra Vingåker parish, Södermanland, in 1688.

In the 19th century, some notable individuals with the surname Samuelson emerged. Carl Samuelson (1810-1884) was a Swedish businessman and industrialist who founded the Samuelson engineering works in Linköping. He played a significant role in the industrialization of Sweden.

Another prominent figure was Johan August Samuelson (1831-1919), a Swedish historian and author who wrote extensively about the history of Scandinavia and the Viking Age.

In the United States, the surname Samuelson gained recognition through the work of Paul Samuelson (1915-2009), an American economist who was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1970 for his contributions to economic theory.

Other notable individuals with the surname Samuelson include Richard Samuelson (1923-2017), an American inventor and entrepreneur known for his work on the first-ever self-contained scuba system, and Ralph Samuelson (1904-1977), a Swedish water polo player who competed in the 1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics.

While the surname Samuelson may have originated in Sweden, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration and migration patterns. However, its roots can be traced back to the Swedish tradition of patronymic naming conventions, reflecting the name of the father and the cultural heritage of the Scandinavian region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Samuelson

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

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

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

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