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Sam Family History

Sam Name Meaning

English: from a pet form of the Middle English personal name Samson . Native American (e.g. Navajo): adoption of the English personal name Sam (short form of Samuel rarely of Samson ) as a surname. Cambodian: written សម corresponding to the Khmer word meaning ‘alike similar’ and to the homonym meaning e.g. ‘attractive’. Alternatively it may be a surname of Chinese origin (compare below). Cambodian: written សំ (also សាំ) probably of Chinese or Vietnamese origin (compare below). Vietnamese (Sầm): from the Chinese surname 岑 see Cen . It is also found among the Cham people in southern Vietnam. Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 沈 see Shen 7: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 岑 see Cen .8: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 諶 see Chen 9: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 孫 see Sun 10: Chinese: possibly from a Cantonese form of the Chinese names 森 (meaning ‘forest’) or 琛 (meaning ‘treasure’) which are both monosyllabic personal names in Chinese. Alternatively it may be part of any of several Chinese disyllabic personal names borne by Chinese immigrants in the US.1 West African (Ghana): Akan (Fante) name of unexplained etymology.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Sham, Lam, Kam, Sum, San, Sax, Dam, Ham, Sak, Sim

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Where is the Sam family from?

You can see how Sam families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Sam family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Sam families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 257 Sam families living in British Columbia. This was about 55% of all the recorded Sam's in Canada. British Columbia had the highest population of Sam families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Sam surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Sam ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Labourer and Religieuse were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Sam. 20% of Sam men worked as a Labourer and 42% of Sam women worked as a Religieuse. Some less common occupations for Americans named Sam were Laborer and Relieuse. .

View Census Data for Sam | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Labourer
    20%
  • Cook
    16%
  • Laundryman
    10%
  • Laborer
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Religieuse
    42%
  • Institutrice
    25%
  • Domestic
    17%
  • Relieuse
    17%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Sam family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 50,000 census records available for the last name Sam. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Sam census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

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Passenger Lists

There are 20,000 immigration records available for the last name Sam. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 5,000 military records available for the last name Sam. For the veterans among your Sam ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Sam lifespan?

Between 1945 and 2004, in the United States, Sam life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1956, and highest in 1962. The average life expectancy for Sam in 1945 was 29, and 55 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Sam

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