Contents [hide]

Sanson History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Sanson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Italy

Etymology of Sanson

What does the name Sanson mean?

The name Sanson is from Normandy, France. The root name Sanson or Samson is an Old French name given to "a Welsh bishop (fl. 550) who crossed over to Brittany and founded the abbey of Dol where he was buried and venerated as a saint. Whether his name is the Biblical Samson or one of Celtic origin is uncertain. Probably from Saint-Samson (Seine-Inférieure), or from Saint-Samson (Calvados), Saint-Samson-de-Bonfosse (La Manche) or Saint-Samson-de-la-Roque (Eure)." 1

Another source claims the name to be derived from the Hebrew given name Shemuel, meaning the name of God.

Early Origins of the Sanson family

The surname Sanson was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where this distinguished family held a family seat at Saint-Clair-Sur-Elle in Manche in the arrondissement of St.Lô, where one Ricardi Samsonis, the Latin name for Richard Sampson is described in a charter to Philip the Bishop of Bayeux in 1142, and he is named as occupant of the castle of Saint-Clair. 2

"A well-known monastery near Rouen was built by the Archbishop of Dol, known as St. Sansone or St. Sampson." 3

Early History of the Sanson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sanson research. Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sanson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sanson Spelling Variations

There were a great number of spelling variations in French surnames. One reason for this was the wide variety of cultural influences present in France during the early development of the French language. The many spelling variations of the name include Samson, Samsons, Samsone, Samso, Samsun, Samsoen, Sampsoen, Sampson, Sampsonis and many more.

Early Notables of the Sanson family

More information is included under the topic Early Sanson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sanson Ranking

the United States, the name Sanson is the 12,334^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4 However, in France, the name Sanson is ranked the 1,302^nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,332 people with that name. 5

Sanson migration to the United States +

By 1643 there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Since immigration was slow, early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Sanson has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Sanson were

Sanson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jane Sanson, who arrived in Maryland in 1679 6
Walter Sanson, who arrived in Virginia in 1695 6

Sanson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Daniel Sanson, who arrived in New York in 1701 6
Isabelle Sanson, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719
Hilaire Sanson, who settled in Louisiana in 1720

Sanson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

C. Sanson, who settled in Illinois in 1886
Alexander Sanson, who settled in Nebraska in 1894
James Sanson, who landed in Arkansas in 1895 6

Sanson migration to Canada +

Sanson Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Frank Sanson, who arrived in Ontario in 1871
David L. Sanson, who settled in Ontario in 1871

Sanson migration to Australia +

Sanson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Sanson, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Harpley" in 1848 7
Mary Sanson, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Harpley" in 1848 7
William Henry Sanson, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Harpley" in 1848 7
Elizabeth Sanson, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Harpley" in 1848 7
Mary Ann Sanson, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Harpley" in 1848 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sanson 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:

Sanson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William P. Sanson, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Midlothian" in 1859
Mr. James Sanson, British labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Victory " arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 17th October 1863 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Sanson (post 1700) +

William C. Sanson (b. 1865), American Republican politician, Tuscola County Treasurer, 1917-20; Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Tuscola County, 1921-24
Nicolas-Antoine Sanson, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 9
Véronique Marie Line Sanson (b. 1949), French singer-songwriter
Nicolas Sanson (1600-1667), French cartographer
Jean-Baptiste Sanson de Pongerville (1782-1870), French poet, member of the Académie française in 1830
Ernest Sanson (1836-1918), French architect
Dominique Sanson (b. 1949), French artist
Boris Sanson (b. 1980), French gold medalist sabre fencer at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Yvonne Sanson (1926-2003), Greek film actress
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The HARPLEY 1848 - PASSENGER LIST. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848HarpleyPassengerList.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, September 11) Nicolas-Antoine Sanson. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html