2000
#6,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,891
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.81
Rare Last name
Sansone
An Italian surname derived from the biblical name Samson, meaning "man of the sun" or "bright sun."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,079 Americans carry the last name Sansone. That puts it at #7,259 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,485 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sansone 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.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 67,485
Census rank
#7,259
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,429 bearers of the surname Sansone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7259th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sansone, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sansone
The surname Sansone is of Italian origin and derives from the personal name Sansone, which is the Italian form of the biblical name Samson. The name Samson comes from the Hebrew word "shemesh," meaning "sun." This suggests that the name may have originated as a nickname for someone with a sunny disposition or a connection to the sun.
Sansone is most commonly found in southern Italy, particularly in the regions of Campania, Calabria, and Sicily. It is believed to have originated in these areas during the Middle Ages, possibly as early as the 10th century. Historical records show variations in the spelling, including Sansoni, Sansonio, and Sansune.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sansone can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Barese, a collection of medieval documents from the city of Bari, dating back to the 11th century. The name is also mentioned in various Italian chronicles and records from the 12th and 13th centuries.
A notable bearer of the name was Sansone Doria, a Genoese nobleman and military leader who lived in the 13th century. He played a significant role in the conflicts between Genoa and Pisa, and his name is recorded in various historical accounts of the time.
Another prominent figure with the surname Sansone was Niccolò Sansone, a Venetian painter who lived in the 16th century. He was known for his religious paintings and frescoes, some of which can still be seen in churches and buildings in Venice.
In the 17th century, Girolamo Sansone was an Italian mathematician and astronomer who made contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the motion of planets. He was also involved in the construction of astronomical observatories in Naples and Rome.
Moving forward in time, Vincenzo Sansone was an Italian composer and conductor who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He composed several operas and orchestral works that were performed in Italy and other parts of Europe.
Finally, Enrico Sansone was an Italian mathematician and physicist who lived in the 20th century. He made significant contributions to the field of differential geometry and is known for his work on the theory of partial differential equations.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the surname Sansone throughout history, reflecting the name's deep roots in Italian culture and its association with various professions and achievements.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sansone
Among Census respondents with the surname Sansone, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sansone 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 Sansone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 3,992
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 224
- Two or more races3.0% · 131
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 46
- Black or African American0.6% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sansone
Sansone 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
#6,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,270
+379 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Down 34 places
2020
#7,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,429
-841 bearers (-16.0%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Down 815 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,410 | 4,891 | 1.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,444 | 5,270 | 1.79 | +379 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 34 places |
| 2020 | #7,259 | 4,429 | 1.48 | -841 bearers (-16.0%) | Down 815 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 Sansone 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 | #6,444 | #7,259 | -12.6% |
| Count | 5,270 | 4,429 | -16.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.79 | 1.48 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sansone bearers went from 5,270 to 4,429 (-16.0% change). The surname moved down 815 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,444 to #7,259.
FAQ
Sansone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sansone?
Name Census estimates that about 5,079 living Americans carry the surname Sansone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,485 residents.
How common is Sansone?
Sansone ranks #7,259 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.48 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 4,429 people with the surname Sansone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,079), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.48 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 Sansone.
Has Sansone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sansone went from 5,270 recorded bearers to 4,429. That is a decrease of 841 (-16.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,444 to #7,259.
What does the Census say about the background of Sansone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sansone, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Sansone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (3,992 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sansone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Sansone (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 Sansone mean?
An Italian surname derived from the biblical name Samson, meaning "man of the sun" or "bright sun." 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 Sansone (1.48 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 Sansone?
Want to know how many people are called Sansone? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.