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

Summons, 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 Summons surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Summons in America

Summons is the 56836th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Summons surname appeared 359 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Summons.

We can also compare 2010 data for Summons 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 Summons

The surname Summons is believed to have originated from the Middle English word 'summonce', which means a legal summons or citation to appear in court. The name likely evolved from an occupation or status, referring to someone who was responsible for delivering legal summonses or worked in a court or legal setting.

The earliest recorded instances of the Summons surname can be traced back to the 13th century in England. In 1273, a William Summance is mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire. The name appears with various spellings in historical records, such as Summons, Sumance, and Sumaunce.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Summons was John Summons, a member of the Parliament of England who served from 1395 to 1397. Records also show a Thomas Summons who was a landowner in Gloucestershire in the late 15th century.

In the 16th century, the Summons surname can be found in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Worcestershire. During this period, the name was sometimes spelled as Sumance or Summance.

A notable bearer of the Summons surname was Sir George Summons (1554-1610), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament who served as a Justice of the King's Bench during the reign of King James I.

In the 17th century, the Summons family established themselves in the county of Somerset. Records show a Richard Summons (1612-1678) who was a prominent landowner and served as a Justice of the Peace in Somerset.

Another notable individual with the Summons surname was John Summons (1704-1787), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Maperton in Somerset.

As the Summons surname spread across various regions of England, it also appeared with various spellings, such as Summance, Summaunce, and Summonce, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

While the Summons surname has its roots in England, it has since been carried to other parts of the world by individuals and families who emigrated from England, contributing to the global distribution of the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Summons

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

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

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

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