Salmon
A surname with several possible roots, most often explained as a medieval form of Solomon, though it was also sometimes linked to the fish or to place-names.
The #2,486 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 21,277 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually taken as a medieval English form of the biblical personal name Solomon, appearing in records as Salamon or Salmon. Some early writers also connected it with the fish-name, from Old French and Latin words for salmon, or with Germanic forms related to an old nickname meaning dark or tawny. Because several explanations were current in historical scholarship, the name is best treated as having more than one possible origin.
History
Bardsley and Harrison both note that Salmon often represents a popular medieval form of Solomon rather than a true fish-name. In historical records the spelling was sometimes Latinized, and the surname also appears in forms such as Salamon and Salmond. In some cases there may have been independent local or nickname origins, which adds to the surname’s mixed history.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname scholars repeatedly warned that not every apparent fish surname is actually from the fish, and Salmon was one of their favorite examples.
From the historical record
“Nat. Gaz., 1868. SALMON 1 (Heb.) for Salomon, Solomon, SALMAN J q.v. (occ.) (Teut.) for the O.Teut. Salaman, [app. f. O.H.Ger. salo - O.E. salo, dark, tawny] Salmond”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)