2000
#119,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Samways
An English surname derived from an older form of "someway" meaning pathway.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 171 Americans carry the last name Samways. That puts it at #121,931 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,004,411 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Samways 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 Samways with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
171
1 in 2,004,411
Census rank
#121,931
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
149
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 149 bearers of the surname Samways in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 121931st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Samways, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Samways
The surname SAMWAYS is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from a combination of the Old English words "sam" meaning "half" and "weg" meaning "way" or "path." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone living along a path or near a crossroads.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SAMWAYS name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from 1221, where it appears as "Samewey." This document provides evidence that the name was already in use during the early 13th century in the West Midlands region of England.
The SAMWAYS surname also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it is listed as "Samewey." This record indicates that the name had spread to other parts of England by the late 13th century.
In the 14th century, a John SAMWAYS was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, dated 1348. This suggests that the name had established a presence in northern England by that time.
During the 16th century, the SAMWAYS name can be found in various parish records across England. Notable examples include the birth of William SAMWAYS in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1572 and the marriage of Thomas SAMWAYS and Anne Partridge in Cheltenham in 1589.
One of the earliest known bearers of the SAMWAYS name was Sir John SAMWAYS, a prominent English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Worcestershire in the late 16th century. He was born in 1550 and died in 1616.
Another notable figure was Robert SAMWAYS, an English clergyman and author who lived in the 17th century. He was born in 1602 and served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Islington, London. He published several works, including "The Practice of True Devotion" in 1656.
In the 18th century, the SAMWAYS surname was associated with the literary world through the writings of William SAMWAYS, an English poet and essayist born in 1732. He published several collections of poems and essays during his lifetime, before passing away in 1798.
The 19th century saw the rise of Sir Henry SAMWAYS, a prominent British businessman and philanthropist. Born in 1824, he founded the Samways & Company textile firm and was known for his charitable contributions to various educational institutions and hospitals. He died in 1902.
Another notable figure from this period was Mary SAMWAYS, a pioneering English educator who established one of the first schools for girls in London in the early 19th century. She was born in 1790 and played a significant role in advocating for the education of women during her time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Samways
Among Census respondents with the surname Samways, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Samways 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 Samways surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 129
- Hispanic or Latino9.4% · 14
- Two or more races2.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Samways
Samways 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
#117,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
+14 bearers (+10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 2,164 places
2020
#121,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149
+1 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 4,451 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119,644 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #117,480 | 148 | 0.05 | +14 bearers (+10.4%) | Up 2,164 places |
| 2020 | #121,931 | 149 | 0.05 | +1 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 4,451 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 Samways 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 | #117,480 | #121,931 | -3.8% |
| Count | 148 | 149 | 0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Samways bearers went from 148 to 149 (+0.7% change). The surname moved down 4,451 positions in the national ranking, going from #117,480 to #121,931.
FAQ
Samways surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Samways?
Name Census estimates that about 171 living Americans carry the surname Samways. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,004,411 residents.
How common is Samways?
Samways ranks #121,931 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 149 people with the surname Samways. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (171), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Samways.
Has Samways become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Samways went from 148 recorded bearers to 149. That is an increase of 1 (+0.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #117,480 to #121,931.
What does the Census say about the background of Samways?
Among Census respondents with the surname Samways, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Samways in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (129 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Samways appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Hispanic (9.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Samways (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 Samways mean?
An English surname derived from an older form of "someway" meaning pathway. 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 Samways (0.05 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 have the last name Samways?
Want to know how many people have the last name Samways? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.