Contents [hide]

Sample History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Sample History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Early Origins of the Sample family

The surname Sample was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Scotland to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Sample family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sample research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1280, 1315, 1489, 1545, 1558, 1564, 1566, 1577, 1591, 1595, 1596, 1600, 1616, 1621, 1625, 1640, 1643, 1644, 1654, 1663, 1666, 1667, 1677, 1680, 1682, 1700, 1741, 1749, 1757, 1782 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Sample History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sample Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Semple, Simple, Sempill, Sempell, Symple, Sympell and many more.

Early Notables of the Sample family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Lord George Sempill; and Sir James Sempill (1566-1625), Scottish Ambassador to England (1591-1600); Robert Sempill, the Younger (1595?-1663?), Scottish poet, best known for his ballad, "The Life and Death of Habbie Simpson, Piper of Kilbarchan" (c. 1640); and Francis Sempill (1616?-1682), Deputy Sheriff of Renfrewshire (1667.) 1Hugh Sempill or Semple (1596-1654), was a Scottish mathematician, born at Craigevar and was was nephew of Colonel William Sempill. Sir James Sempill (1566-1625) of Beltrees, called by Knox 'the dancer,' was eldest son of John Sempill. His father and mother were special favourites of the queen...
Another 126 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sample Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sample Ranking

In the United States, the name Sample is the 2,212^nd most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Sample family to Ireland

Some of the Sample family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 123 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sample migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sample Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Sample, who landed in Maryland in 1653 3

Sample Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Lawrence Sample, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 3

Sample Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Sample, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1808 3
Richard Sample, aged 23, who landed in New York in 1812 3
David Sample, who landed in America in 1819 3
Mr. Sample, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1822 3
Manuel Sample, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1833 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sample migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sample Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Nathanl Sample, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Sample Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Margaret Sample, aged 23, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Ambassador" in 1834

Sample migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Sample Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Peter Sample, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 13th March 1828, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

Sample migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Sample Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Sample, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Weymouth" in 1866
Mr. George Sample, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Weymouth" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 3rd July 1866 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Sample (post 1700) +

Steve Sample Sr. (d. 2020), American bandleader, arranger, composer, jazz educator and professor in the Music Department of the University of Alabama for over 30 years
Steven Browning Sample (1940-2016), American educator, 10th President of the University of Southern California (1991-2010), 12th President of the University at Buffalo (1982-1991)
Samuel Caldwell Sample (1796-1855), United States Representative
Alexander King Sample (b. 1960), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church
James W. Sample (1910-1995), American conductor
William Dodge Sample (1898-1945), American Rear Admiral in the United States Navy and an Escort Carrier Division commander
Junior Sample (1926-1983), American comedian
William Amos Sample (b. 1955), former American professional baseball player
John B. Sample Jr. (1937-2005), American football defensive back
Joseph Leslie "Joe" Sample (b. 1939), American pianist, keyboard player and composer
... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html