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

Sansom, 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 Sansom surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sansom in America

Sansom is the 10959th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sansom surname appeared 2,903 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Sansom.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sansom 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 Sansom

The surname Sansom has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the personal name "Sanson," which was the Middle English form of the Biblical name "Samson."

This surname was likely bestowed upon a person perceived as possessing great physical strength, alluding to the biblical figure of Samson known for his superhuman strength. Variants of the name, such as Sansun and Sansoune, can be found in early records.

One of the earliest references to the surname Sansom appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it is recorded as "Sanson." This indicates that the name was already in use by the 13th century.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, does not explicitly mention the surname Sansom. However, it does include entries for individuals bearing the personal name "Sansone" or "Sansun," which may have later evolved into the surname.

In the 14th century, the name Sansom can be found in various historical documents, such as the Patent Rolls of 1328, which mention a "John Sansom" from Oxfordshire. Another notable example is John Sansom (c. 1510-1596), an English Benedictine monk and scholar who was born in Coventry.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Sansom became more widely distributed across England, with records indicating its presence in various regions. One notable bearer was Sir James Sansom (1621-1696), an English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1689.

In the 18th century, the name continued to gain prominence, with individuals like William Sansom (1690-1751), a British naval officer and MP for Plymouth, and Thomas Sansom (1736-1793), an English dissenting minister and tutor.

The 19th century saw the rise of several influential figures with the surname Sansom, such as Joseph Sansom (1807-1876), an English Quaker and philanthropist who co-founded the company J. and A. Sansom, and Arthur Ernest Sansom (1838-1925), a British novelist and playwright.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sansom

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

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

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

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