Samson
A surname from the Biblical name Samuel/Samson tradition, later used by both Jews and Christians and spread in several spelling forms.
The #3,246 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 27,757 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally understood as coming from the personal name Samson, and in some surname traditions it was treated as part of the broader Samuel name-group. The underlying biblical name Samson is from Hebrew Shimshon, commonly explained as meaning something like "sun-like" or "little sun." In English surname practice, Samson also generated and overlapped with related forms such as Sampson, Sansom, and Sansum.
History
Lower says Samson is a surname shared by Jews and Christians and notes that it gave rise to or was closely associated with forms such as Samuels, Sams, Samkin, and Sammes. His evidence also shows a range of historical spellings, including Sansonus, Sansonius, Saunsum, Sansome, and De S. Sampsone, with examples found in several English counties and in Scotland. In later English usage, Samson and Sampson often became interchangeable spellings.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older surname books, Samson and Sampson are sometimes treated as spelling cousins rather than clearly separate names.
From the historical record
“SAMS. See Samuel. SAMSON. See Sampson. SAMUEL. A surname, pretty equally shared by Jews and Christians. It has given rise to Samuels, Sams, Samson, Sampson, Samkin, Sanqakin, Sammes, and perhaps SamwcU — but this last may be local. SAMUELS. See Samuel. SAMWELL. See Samuel.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom