The Sample surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 11,471 people carried this name — #3,150 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 25,700 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (11,414).

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What the name means

The meaning of the Sample surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘de St. Paul’.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 665 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

48 families named Sample, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 332 people lived in those households, 6.9 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 36
South Carolina 4
Virginia 3
North Carolina 3
New York 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 260 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Sample in American newspapers,
1907–1930.

Newspaper page from The Lexington Advertiser carrying the name Sample
The Lexington Advertiser 1907-06-21
Newspaper page from Yellowstone Monitor carrying the name Sample
Yellowstone Monitor 1914-02-19
Newspaper page from The Lexington Advertiser carrying the name Sample
The Lexington Advertiser 1930-01-02

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,439 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Sample in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

5,177 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Sample. The most, 852, date from the 1910s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 2,105
Victoria 1,037
Queensland 670
South Australia 669
Tasmania 324
Western Australia 304
ACT (Canberra) 39
Northern Territory 4

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Sample.

Who carried it

People named Sample,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Nathaniel Welshard Sample
    Nathaniel Welshard Sample 1752–1834
  • Samuel C. Sample
    Samuel C. Sample 1796–1855 · judge
  • Dorothy Sample
    Dorothy Sample 1911–2002 · politician
  • Steven Sample
    Steven Sample 1940–2016 · engineer
  • Thomas Sample 1791–1876 · politician
  • Helen F. Sample Ardis 1912–2007 · businessperson

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Sample,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States919 records

919 records of the Sample name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 375
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 204
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 164
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 77
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 49
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 39
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 6
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Eugene F. Sample

    Born 1915 in New York. Enlisted 1943 at New York City; office clerk from Kings County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1965, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Ronald Neil Sample

    Born 1949; from Bradley, Illinois. U.S. Marine Corps, m60a1 tank crewman; died in an accident 1969 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Eliza Sample

    Arrived at New York in 1852 aboard the Francis P. Sage from Liverpool, aged 20; laborer. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 919 records for Sample in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada108 records

108 records of the Sample name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 94
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 6
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 4
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 2
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Winston Sample

    Killed in 1952 at the MacGregor Mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Mary Edith Sample

    Died 1945; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Wellington Sample

    Died in service in 1918.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 108 records for Sample in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia100 records

100 records of the Sample name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 56
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 17
  • Tasmanian Names Index 16
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 6
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 3
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Mary Sample

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1830. Married 1831 in Launceston, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thomas Sample

    Arrived in Queensland in 1883 aboard the Duke of Buccleuch, aged 19.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Henry H. Sample

    Licensed victlr of Huntly, Victoria; died 1910.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 100 records for Sample in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

United Kingdom3 records

3 records of the Sample name in the United Kingdom
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Sample

    Northumberland Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 1 of 3 records for Sample in the United Kingdom.

Counts: MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Sample name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record John Sample

    Married in 1710 in Rotterdam; sergeant.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Sample.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Sample 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.

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