2000
#47,120
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 424
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Sossamon
An Anglicized surname derived from the indigenous Massachusett tribe and place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 462 Americans carry the last name Sossamon. That puts it at #55,082 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 741,893 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sossamon surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
462
1 in 741,893
Census rank
#55,082
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
403
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 403 bearers of the surname Sossamon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 55082nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sossamon, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sossamon
The surname Sossamon has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "soth" meaning south and "hamm" meaning a meadow or enclosure. The name likely referred to someone who lived in the southern part of a village or near a southern meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sossamon can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mentions a Robert de Suthamton in Oxfordshire. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms such as Sothampton, Suthampton, and Suthhamton in various records and documents from different parts of England.
The Sossamon surname is closely associated with the tragic figure of John Sossamon (also spelled Sassamon or Sousaman), a Native American interpreter and Christian convert who was born around 1619 and played a crucial role in the events leading up to King Philip's War in 1675. He was brutally murdered by members of the Wampanoag tribe, and his death was a catalyst for the conflict.
Another notable bearer of the Sossamon surname was Edward Sossamon, a British explorer and adventurer who lived in the late 16th century. He is believed to have been one of the first Englishmen to travel extensively in the Americas, particularly in modern-day Brazil and the Caribbean region.
In the 17th century, the Sossamon name appeared in various parish records and court documents across England, particularly in counties such as Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Buckinghamshire.
Thomas Sossamon, born in 1642 in Oxfordshire, was a prominent figure in the English Civil War, serving as a captain in the Parliamentarian forces. He fought in several battles, including the Battle of Naseby in 1645.
Another individual of note was William Sossamon, born in 1702 in Berkshire, who was a renowned clockmaker and inventor. He is credited with developing one of the earliest forms of the chronometer, a highly accurate timepiece used for navigation at sea.
While the Sossamon surname has undergone various spellings and variations over the centuries, it remains a distinctive name with deep historical roots in England, particularly in the southern regions of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sossamon
Among Census respondents with the surname Sossamon, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sossamon bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Sossamon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 359
- Two or more races6.9% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 11
- Black or African American0.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sossamon
Sossamon appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#50,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 417
-7 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 3,076 places
2020
#55,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 403
-14 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 4,886 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #47,120 | 424 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #50,196 | 417 | 0.14 | -7 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,076 places |
| 2020 | #55,082 | 403 | 0.13 | -14 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 4,886 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Sossamon surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #50,196 | #55,082 | -9.7% |
| Count | 417 | 403 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.13 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sossamon bearers went from 417 to 403 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 4,886 positions in the national ranking, going from #50,196 to #55,082.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sossamon
FAQ
Sossamon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sossamon?
Name Census estimates that about 462 living Americans carry the surname Sossamon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 741,893 residents.
How common is Sossamon?
Sossamon ranks #55,082 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 403 people with the surname Sossamon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (462), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Sossamon.
Has Sossamon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sossamon went from 417 recorded bearers to 403. That is a decrease of 14 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #50,196 to #55,082.
What does the Census say about the background of Sossamon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sossamon, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sossamon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (359 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sossamon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (6.9%), Hispanic (2.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Sossamon (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Sossamon mean?
An Anglicized surname derived from the indigenous Massachusett tribe and place name. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Sossamon (0.13 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Sossamon?
See how many people are called Sossamon on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.