Contents [hide]

Sammons History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Sammons History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The notable Sammons family arose among the Cornish People, a race with a rich Celtic heritage and an indomitable fighting spirit who inhabited the southwest of England. While surnames were well-known during the English medieval period, Cornish People originally used only a single name. The way in which hereditary surnames came into common use is interesting. As the population of medieval Europe multiplied, people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Under the Feudal System of government, surnames evolved and they often reflected life on the manor and in the field. Patronymic surnames were derived from given names and were the predominant type of surname among the Celtic peoples of Britain. However, the people of Cornwall provide a surprising exception to this rule, and patronymic surnames are less common among them than other people of Celtic stock, such as their Welsh neighbors. This is due to the greater influence of English bureaucracy and naming practices in Cornwall at the time that surnames first arose. This type of surname blended perfectly with the prevailing Feudal System. One feature that is occasionally found in Cornish surnames of this type is the suffix -oe or -ow; this is derived from the Cornish plural suffix -ow. is a patronymic surname that came from the first name of the bearer's father, meaning literally "son of Simon." Alternatively, the name could have "come from the Domesday name Simund, which is distinct from Simon." 1

Simon was a popular biblical name and comes ultimately from the ancient Hebrew personal name Shimon, meaning "to hearken." 2

The name appears as a character in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales: 'Awake, Simond, the fend is on me fall.'

Early Origins of the Sammons family

The surname Sammons was first found in Devon and in Cornwall, where the family held a family seat since ancient times.

The ancient Latin form of the name Simmunddnrus was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. 3

Simeon or Symeon of Durham (fl. 1130), was an English historian, a monk of Durham, being thirty-eighth on his own list of the monks of that house. Saint Simeon Stock (1165?-1265), was general of the Carmelite friars and is said to have been born in Kent of noble parents about 1165. "From his earliest years he was devoted to religion, and, according to the legend, owed his surname to the fact that from his twelfth year he lived a hermit's life in the trunk or stock of a tree for twenty years. " 4

Simeon of Warwick (died 1295), was an English historian who became a Benedictine monk at St. Mary's, York, and in 1258 was elected abbot.

In Scotland, the first records of the family were "Symon, capellanus, [who] witnessed a charter by William Bruce to Adam Carlyle, c. 1194-1214, and Symon or Simon, archidiaconus of Aberdeen, a charter witness, 1172." 5

Early History of the Sammons family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sammons research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1178, 1273, 1379, 1388, 1475, 1487, 1500, 1525, 1528, 1586, 1614, 1617, 1623, 1624, 1640, 1665, 1687, 1692, 1815 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Sammons History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sammons Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Symons, Symonds, Symond, Simmins, Simins, Simmonds, Simonds, Simond, Simmons, Simon, Simmon, Simmen, Symon and many more.

Early Notables of the Sammons family

Notable amongst the family at this time was John Symons, M.P. for Helston in 1388; Thomas Simon (c. 1623-1665), English medalist, born in Yorkshire who studied engraving under Nicholas Briot; Samuel Simmons (1640-1687), an English printer, best known as the first publisher of several works by John Milton; Abraham Simon (1617-1692?), an English medalist to the Royal Mint with his brother, Thomas Simon (c. 1623-1665); and Richard Symonds (1617-1692?), an English Royalist and antiquary, best known for his eye-witness diary of the events of the First English Civil War. Sir George Simeon was an English landowner and politician, Member of Parliament...
Another 114 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sammons Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sammons Ranking

In the United States, the name Sammons is the 3,582^nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Sammons family to Ireland

Some of the Sammons family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sammons migration to the United States +

A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Sammons:

Sammons Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Frederih Sammons, aged 34, who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Bellona" in 1819 7
E. Sammons, aged 7, Bristish settler who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Andrew Foster" in 1848 7
J. Sammons, aged 46, Bristish settler who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Andrew Foster" in 1848 7
Mr. J. Sammons, aged 42, Bristish settler who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Andrew Foster" in 1848 7
M. Sammons, aged 46, Bristish settler who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Andrew Foster" in 1848 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sammons migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sammons Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Sammons, who landed in Canada in 1841

Sammons migration to Australia +

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

Sammons Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Sammons, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Bardaster" on 7th September 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8

Sammons 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:

Sammons Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Sammons, aged 30, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
Ann Sammons, aged 30, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
Ann Sammons, aged 8, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
Mr. William Sammons, (b. 1854), aged 20, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dorette" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 9
William Sammons, aged 21, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dorette" in 1874 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Sammons (post 1700) +

Clint Joseph Sammons (b. 1983), American former Major League Baseball catcher who played for the Atlanta Braves from 2007 to 2009
Jeffrey Leonard Sammons (b. 1936), American literary scholar who devoted a significant portion of his publications to the writer Heinrich Heine
Jeffrey Thomas Sammons (b. 1949), American historian, professor and author of Beyond the Ring: The Role of Boxing in American Society and co-author of Harlem's Rattlers and the Great War: The Undaunted 369th Regiment and the African American Quest for Equality
Mary F. Sammons (b. 1946), American businesswoman, former CEO, and former chairperson, of Rite Aid
Richard Sammons (b. 1961), American architect, architectural theorist, visiting professor, and chief designer of Fairfax & Sammons Architects
Colonel Sampson Sammons (1722-1796), American officer in the American Revolutionary War who was the target of the first shot fired by the British in the American Revolution west of the Hudson River
Simeon Sammons (1811-1881), American Democratic Party politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Montgomery County, 1865; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1868 11
Lafayette Sammons, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arkansas, 1956 11
L. T. Sammons, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oklahoma, 1912 11
Hume L. Sammons, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Indiana, 1928 11
... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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/
Ellis Island Search retrieved 9th February 2023. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bardaster
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html