NameCensus.

UK surname

Samples

An occupational surname for someone who worked as a food taster or sampler, ensuring food quality and safety.

In the 1881 census there were 87 people recorded with the Samples surname, ranking it #21,334 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 188, ranked #20,417, up from #21,334 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Anne Soho, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Toxteth Park. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Calderdale, Nottingham and East Northamptonshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Samples is 188 in 2015. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 116.1%.

1881 census count

87

Ranked #21,334

Modern count

188

2016, ranked #20,417

Peak year

2015

188 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Samples had 87 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,334 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 188 in 2016, ranked #20,417.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 150 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Samples surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Samples surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Samples 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 64 #21,914
1861 historical 66 #25,487
1881 historical 87 #21,334
1891 historical 105 #23,241
1901 historical 137 #19,032
1911 historical 150 #17,866
1997 modern 166 #19,797
1998 modern 165 #20,423
1999 modern 168 #20,312
2000 modern 167 #20,332
2001 modern 164 #20,279
2002 modern 167 #20,457
2003 modern 165 #20,401
2004 modern 156 #21,261
2005 modern 154 #21,396
2006 modern 160 #21,066
2007 modern 166 #20,811
2008 modern 163 #21,238
2009 modern 165 #21,552
2010 modern 175 #21,186
2011 modern 183 #20,425
2012 modern 180 #20,606
2013 modern 181 #20,879
2014 modern 186 #20,664
2015 modern 188 #20,417
2016 modern 188 #20,417

Geography

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Where Samples' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Anne Soho, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Toxteth Park, Nottingham St Mary and Preston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Calderdale, Nottingham and East Northamptonshire. 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 St Anne Soho London (Central Districts)
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 Toxteth Park Lancashire
4 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire
5 Preston Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Calderdale 018 Calderdale
2 Calderdale 009 Calderdale
3 Nottingham 036 Nottingham
4 Nottingham 035 Nottingham
5 East Northamptonshire 008 East Northamptonshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Samples

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Samples

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Samples, 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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Samples surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Samples household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Samples 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

Samples is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Samples falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Samples 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 - British

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

Meaning and origin of Samples

The surname SAMPLES originated in England during the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "saan" meaning "sandy" and "hyll" meaning "hill", referring to a person who lived on or near a sandy hill or dune. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Samhille".

The name SAMPLES first appeared in the counties of Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Yorkshire, where the sandy soil and rolling hills provided suitable environments for settlements. In the 13th century, records show a Robert de Samhille living in Lincolnshire. A similar spelling, "Samhyll", is documented in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.

During the 14th century, the name began to spread across England, with notable bearers including John Samhill, a merchant from York, born in 1320, and William Samphill, a landholder in Nottinghamshire, born in 1375.

In the 16th century, the name underwent further spelling variations, such as "Sampyll", "Sampell", and "Sampels". One of the earliest recorded instances of the modern spelling "SAMPLES" is found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, where a baptism of Thomas SAMPLES is recorded in 1587.

Notable individuals with the surname SAMPLES include:

1. Sir John SAMPLES (1610-1672), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire. 2. Mary SAMPLES (1674-1738), an English botanist and herbalist known for her contributions to the study of medicinal plants. 3. William SAMPLES (1772-1848), a Scottish-born American entrepreneur and co-founder of the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. 4. Elizabeth SAMPLES (1804-1890), an American educator and advocate for women's rights, who established one of the first schools for girls in Pennsylvania. 5. Charles SAMPLES (1876-1942), a British explorer and naturalist who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions and published works on the flora and fauna of the polar regions.

The surname SAMPLES has a rich history spanning several centuries, originating from the geographical features of medieval England and eventually spreading across the British Isles and beyond.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Samples families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Samples 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 48 Samples' recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.77x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 48 4.77x
Nottinghamshire 21 18.36x
Middlesex 8 0.94x
Cheshire 7 3.74x
Durham 2 0.79x
Yorkshire 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nottingham St Mary in Nottinghamshire leads with 21 Samples' recorded in 1881 and an index of 70.97x.

Place Total Index
Nottingham St Mary 21 70.97x
Lathom 16 1311.48x
Toxteth Park 14 41.06x
Sefton 7 6363.64x
Castle Northwich 6 967.74x
Islington London 4 4.86x
Preston 4 14.85x
Skelmersdale 4 238.10x
Liverpool 2 3.27x
Shadforth 2 408.16x
St Marylebone London 2 4.41x
Twickenham 2 54.95x
Birkenhead 1 6.70x
Everton 1 3.12x
Middlesbrough 1 9.13x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 4
John 4
Robert 4
Henry 3
James 3
Albert 2
Bryan 2
Charles 2
Job 2
Paul 2
Alex. 1
Edward 1
Francis 1
Frederick 1
Herbert 1
Joseph 1
Peter 1
Richard 1
Robt. 1
Samuel 1
Thomas 1
William 1

FAQ

Samples surname: questions and answers

How common was the Samples surname in 1881?

In 1881, 87 people were recorded with the Samples surname. That placed it at #21,334 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Samples surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 188 in 2016. That gives Samples a modern rank of #20,417.

What does the Samples surname mean?

An occupational surname for someone who worked as a food taster or sampler, ensuring food quality and safety.

What does the Samples map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Samples 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.