The Sam surname
In the 2000 U.S. Census, 9,600 people carried this name — #3,413 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 28,100 people counted.
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In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 197 people named Sam.
Most of them — 157 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 16 départements, most often Paris.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
57 people named Sam live in Switzerland.
They live in 6 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 24 people named Sam live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Antwerp.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Sam in American newspapers,
1861–1957.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 4,417,878 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Sam,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Tirésias Simon Sam 1835–1916 · politician -
Pierino Sam 1921–2010 · painter -
Leman Sam 1951– · singer -
Sam Hou Fai 1962– · judge -
Şevval Sam 1972– · singer
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 49 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Sam.
When the index is not enough
This page says where Sam is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.