Samuelson
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Samuel,” with a strong English and Jewish usage history.
The #4,532 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 39,461 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Samuelson is a patronymic surname formed from the given name Samuel plus the English suffix -son, meaning “son of.” Samuel itself comes through Latin and Greek from Hebrew Shemu’el, commonly understood as “name of God” or “God has heard.” In plain sense, the surname means “Samuel’s son.”
History
The name is well attested in English surname dictionaries as a straightforward patronymic. Nineteenth-century writers also noted that many bearers of Samuels and Samuelson were of Jewish descent, though the surname was not limited to any one community. It appears chiefly in English-speaking countries and is less common than shorter forms such as Samuels or Samuels.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname writers sometimes grouped Samuelson with other biblical patronymics like Davidson and Dawkins as a classic “son of” formation.
From the historical record
“SAMUELS ] Samuels (Son) [, SAMUELSON, Samuel's Son SAMWELL for Samuel, q.v. SANBORN I etymologically more correct SAN BURN J forms than Sambopne, q.v. SANCTON (Eng.) Bel. to Sancton (Yorks), 13th cent. Sancton, Domesday Santon, Santun, Santune [O.E. twK.enclosure, village: the first elemept of Sa«cto« seems to…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)