Explore the Family Name Summons

The meaning of Summons

English (Suffolk and Norfolk): perhaps a variant of Simmons. Alternatively, the name may be a variant of Sowman, with post-medieval excrescent -s, an occupational name from Middle English soue ‘sow, female swine’ (Old English sugu, sū) + man. Sowman may also be a nickname from Middle English south ‘south’ + -man, for someone ‘from the south’.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Summons witnessed a downward trend between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 49,563 in terms of popularity, but by 2010, it had dipped to 56,836, representing a decrease of approximately 14.67%. The count of people with this surname also saw a decline from 398 in 2000 to 359 in 2010, marking a reduction of 9.8%. The proportion per 100,000 individuals shrunk by 20% over the same period.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#49,563	#56,836	-14.67%
Count	398	359	-9.8%
Proportion per 100k	0.15	0.12	-20%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Summons

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Summons saw some changes between 2000 and 2010 as well, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. There was no representation among Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native groups in either year. The percentage of those identifying as Black decreased slightly, from 78.39% to 76.60%. Those identifying as White also saw a modest decrease from 15.83% to 14.76%, while those identifying as Hispanic increased by 21.91%, from 2.51% to 3.06%. There was also a notable increase in individuals identifying with two or more races, rising by 36.39% from 3.27% to 4.46%.

	2000	2010	Change
Black	78.39%	76.6%	-2.28%
White	15.83%	14.76%	-6.76%
Two or More Races	3.27%	4.46%	36.39%
Hispanic	2.51%	3.06%	21.91%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%