2000
#10,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,831
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Sansom
Derived from the Old Norse personal name "Sámr" or "Sami," meaning "swarthy" or "dark-skinned."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,245 Americans carry the last name Sansom. That puts it at #10,766 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,625 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sansom 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 Sansom with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 105,625
Census rank
#10,766
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,830 bearers of the surname Sansom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10766th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sansom, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sansom
Among Census respondents with the surname Sansom, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Sansom 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 Sansom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.9% · 2,260
- Black or African American9.6% · 273
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 121
- Two or more races4.2% · 118
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sansom
Sansom 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
#10,959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,903
+72 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 533 places
2020
#10,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,830
-73 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 193 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,426 | 2,831 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,959 | 2,903 | 0.98 | +72 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 533 places |
| 2020 | #10,766 | 2,830 | 0.95 | -73 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 193 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 Sansom 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 | #10,959 | #10,766 | 1.8% |
| Count | 2,903 | 2,830 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.95 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sansom bearers went from 2,903 to 2,830 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 193 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,959 to #10,766.
FAQ
Sansom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sansom?
Name Census estimates that about 3,245 living Americans carry the surname Sansom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,625 residents.
How common is Sansom?
Sansom ranks #10,766 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,830 people with the surname Sansom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,245), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sansom.
Has Sansom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sansom went from 2,903 recorded bearers to 2,830. That is a decrease of 73 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,959 to #10,766.
What does the Census say about the background of Sansom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sansom, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Sansom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.9% (2,260 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sansom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.9%), Black (9.6%), Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Sansom (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 Sansom mean?
Derived from the Old Norse personal name "Sámr" or "Sami," meaning "swarthy" or "dark-skinned." 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 Sansom (0.95 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 common is the surname Sansom?
See how common the surname Sansom is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.