NameCensus.

UK surname

Sammon

From the Irish surname meaning "descendant of Samhadhán", a diminutive of the name Samhadh.

In the 1881 census there were 91 people recorded with the Sammon surname, ranking it #20,843 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 349, ranked #13,189, up from #20,843 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Strood, Manchester and Ashwell. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rochdale, Luton and Carlisle.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sammon is 365 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 283.5%.

1881 census count

91

Ranked #20,843

Modern count

349

2016, ranked #13,189

Peak year

2010

365 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sammon had 91 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,843 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 349 in 2016, ranked #13,189.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 160 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Sammon surname distribution map

The map shows where the Sammon surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Sammon surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sammon over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 114 #15,716
1861 historical 111 #19,429
1881 historical 91 #20,843
1891 historical 160 #17,555
1901 historical 126 #19,970
1911 historical 140 #18,657
1997 modern 309 #13,268
1998 modern 325 #13,166
1999 modern 339 #12,892
2000 modern 322 #13,307
2001 modern 315 #13,291
2002 modern 325 #13,275
2003 modern 312 #13,467
2004 modern 304 #13,783
2005 modern 300 #13,837
2006 modern 308 #13,669
2007 modern 311 #13,703
2008 modern 317 #13,632
2009 modern 334 #13,409
2010 modern 365 #12,825
2011 modern 353 #13,004
2012 modern 342 #13,184
2013 modern 359 #12,917
2014 modern 357 #13,068
2015 modern 352 #13,109
2016 modern 349 #13,189

Geography

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Where Sammons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Strood, Manchester, Ashwell, Liverpool and Bradford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rochdale, Luton, Carlisle and Leeds. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Strood Kent
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Ashwell Hertfordshire
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rochdale 019 Rochdale
2 Rochdale 018 Rochdale
3 Luton 018 Luton
4 Carlisle 012 Carlisle
5 Leeds 021 Leeds

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sammon

These lists show first names that appear often with the Sammon surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sammon

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Sammon, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Sammon surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Sammon household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Sammon is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Sammon is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sammon falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Sammon is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Sammon, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Sammon

The surname Sammon originated in Ireland and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Gaelic Ó Seamáin, meaning "descendant of Seamán." The name Seamán comes from the Old Irish word "seamar," meaning "squint-eyed" or "stoat."

The earliest recorded reference to the Sammon name dates back to 1095, when Domhnall Ó Seamáin was mentioned in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The Sammons were prominent landowners in County Meath and County Westmeath during the Middle Ages.

One notable figure with the Sammon surname was Sir John Sammon, a 14th-century Anglo-Irish knight who fought in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Another early bearer of the name was Thomas Sammon, a 16th-century Irish historian and author of the Annals of Clonmacnoise.

In the 17th century, the Sammons were among the Irish families transplanted to Connacht during the Cromwellian Plantation. During this period, the name was sometimes anglicized as "Salmon" or "Salmond."

The 18th century saw the rise of several prominent Sammons, including Reverend Edward Sammon (1720-1789), a noted Protestant clergyman and author. Another notable figure was Andrew Sammon (1762-1842), an Irish-born soldier who served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars.

In the 19th century, John Sammon (1806-1891) was a successful Irish-American entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the Sammon Piano Company in Boston. Patrick Sammon (1867-1944) was a renowned Irish scholar and linguist who helped preserve the Irish language.

Over the centuries, the Sammon surname has been found in various forms, including Salmon, Salmond, Samant, and Sammant, reflecting the linguistic variations and regional dialects of Ireland.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sammon families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sammon surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 24 Sammons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.28x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 24 2.28x
Middlesex 17 1.92x
Kent 13 4.29x
Lincolnshire 10 7.05x
Durham 6 2.27x
Northamptonshire 6 7.19x
Berkshire 3 4.50x
Gloucestershire 3 1.72x
Sussex 3 2.00x
Warwickshire 2 0.89x
Leicestershire 1 1.02x
Staffordshire 1 0.33x
Surrey 1 0.23x
Yorkshire 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Gillingham in Kent leads with 12 Sammons recorded in 1881 and an index of 192.31x.

Place Total Index
Gillingham 12 192.31x
Brant Broughton 9 4285.71x
Windle 8 134.91x
Kensington London 7 14.19x
Brackley St Peter 6 1052.63x
Conside Knitsley 6 292.68x
Great Bolton 6 43.01x
Great Stanmore 3 750.00x
Liverpool 3 4.69x
Poplar London 3 17.91x
Preston On Stour 3 3750.00x
St Pancras London 3 4.20x
Tilehurst 3 222.22x
Accrington 2 20.90x
Manchester 2 4.22x
Old Stratford 2 157.48x
Withyam 2 312.50x
Ashby Magna 1 1250.00x
Beckingham 1 909.09x
Bethnal Green London 1 2.59x
Blackburn 1 3.57x
Burton Upon Trent 1 14.27x
Lee 1 22.73x
Leeds 1 2.01x
Newington 1 3.05x
Preston 1 38.31x
Scarisbrick 1 81.97x
Wigan 1 6.79x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Sammon surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Elizabeth 5
Mary 5
Harriett 4
Alice 3
Catherine 3
Sarah 3
Bridget 2
Edith 2
Florence 2
Margaret 2
Ada 1
Ann 1
Anne 1
Ellen 1
Harriet 1
Infant 1
Katey 1
Kittey 1
Leonora 1
Liley 1
Lucy 1
Margt. 1
Martha 1
Patience 1
Rachel 1
Rose 1
Teresa 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Sammon surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Thomas 6
John 5
Edward 4
James 4
George 3
Joseph 3
William 3
Albert 2
Alfred 2
Barnard 2
Patrick 2
Robert 2
Wm. 2
Aron 1
Edwd. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Sammon surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sammon surname in 1881?

In 1881, 91 people were recorded with the Sammon surname. That placed it at #20,843 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sammon surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 349 in 2016. That gives Sammon a modern rank of #13,189.

What does the Sammon surname mean?

From the Irish surname meaning "descendant of Samhadhán", a diminutive of the name Samhadh.

What does the Sammon map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Sammon bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.