Sama surname: meaning, census count and records | FamilyCrests

The Sama surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 854 people carried this name — #28,049 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 344,800 people counted. That is up 33% from 644 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Sama surname

From the Greek personal name Σαμάς (Samás), from the biblical name Shimeah, from Hebrew צשַׁמעָא, שַׁמַעָה (compare the verb שְׁמַע (“to hear, listen”)).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Samà» (Italian), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 344 people named Sama live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 188
Santa Fe 53
City of Buenos Aires 51
Mendoza 33
Córdoba 19

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 67 people named Sama.

26 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 12 départements, most often Guadeloupe.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 26
Guadeloupe 14
Var 6
Eure 5
Alpes-Maritimes 4
Paris 2
La Réunion 2
Hauts-de-Seine 2
Charente-Maritime 2

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

39 people named Sama live in Switzerland.

They live in 6 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 12
Ticino 8
Basel-Landschaft 6
Geneva 5
Bern 4
Basel-Stadt 4

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

Who carried it

People named Sama,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Joaquín Sama y Vinagre 1841–1895 · philosopher
  • Ole Mikkelsen Sama 1864–1928 · missionary
  • Mariantonia Samà 1875–1953 · consecrated virgin
  • Mariantonia Samà 1875–1953 · consecrated virgin
  • Koffi Sama 1944– · politician
  • Gianfranco Sama 1944– · entomologist

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Sama.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Sama 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.

See what a volume holds
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