Explore the Family Name Samara

The meaning of Samara

1. Arabic (mainly Egypt and the Levant): from a personal name based on Arabic thamara ‘benefit, gain’. 2. Catalan: unexplained. 3. American shortened form (and Greek feminine form, denoting ‘the daughter, or wife of’) of Greek Samaras. Some characteristic forenames: Arabic/Muslim Issam, Jawad, Jiries, Mohammad, Nimer, Afaf, Ahmad, Ali, Amal, Baha, Elham, Emad.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Samara in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Samara has seen notable growth between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 30,516 in terms of commonality, but by 2010, its rank had improved to 27,604, representing a 9.54% change. Similarly, the count of individuals with the Samara surname increased from 722 in 2000 to 872 in 2010, indicating a significant increase of 20.78%. The proportion of this surname per 100k also rose by 11.11%, moving from 0.27 to 0.3.

20002010Change
Rank#30,516#27,6049.54%
Count72287220.78%
Proportion per 100k0.270.311.11%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Samara

When examining the ethnic identity associated with the surname Samara, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows some shifts between the years 2000 and 2010. Most individuals bearing this surname identified as White, increasing from 73.68% in 2000 to 80.39% in 2010. The Hispanic percentage saw a substantial rise from 8.45% to 10.44%. Representation within the Asian/Pacific Islander category also grew slightly from 2.49% to 2.75%. However, the percentage who identified under two or more races decreased sharply from 12.19% to 3.56%. The data for Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native categories were either suppressed or remained at zero for both years.

20002010Change
White73.68%80.39%9.11%
Hispanic8.45%10.44%23.55%
Two or More Races12.19%3.56%-70.8%
Asian/Pacific Islander2.49%2.75%10.44%
Black3.19%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%