Show ContentsSamme History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Samme family

The surname Samme was first found in Essex where the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Kelveden Hatch held by a steward of Westminster Abbey who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

William de Sahan (died 1304), was an English judge, who may have been the son of Robert de Saham, but his father's name seems to have been Ralph. It is generally thought that he was a native of Saham Toney, Norfolk. 1

Early History of the Samme family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Samme research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1510, 1600, 1636 and 1679 are included under the topic Early Samme History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Samme Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Sames, Sams, Sammes, Samms, Sam, Same, Samme and others.

Early Notables of the Samme family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Aylett Sammes (1636?-1679?), grandson of John Sammes, Lord of the Manor of Little Totham, Essex, an English antiquary, noted for his theories of Phoenician influence on the Welsh language1...

Migration of the Samme family

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Samme or a variant listed above: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..



  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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