How common is the surname Salmon?

14,511 people in the United States had the surname Salmon in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 21,277 Americans. It ranked 2,486th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Salmon?

Colin Salmon, British actor (b. 1962), followed by Daniel Elmer Salmon.

Where is the surname Salmon most common?

Wikidata records people named Salmon in the United States, the United Kingdom and South Africa.

Is the surname Salmon getting more or less common?

More common. 13,328 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 14,511 in 2010, up 8.9%.

The surname Salmon

A surname, carried by 14,511 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex S455

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Salmon is more common than 98.5% of them.

Origin

* (Idaho, river): named after the fish, salmon

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 14,511 people named Salmon in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 21,277 Americans. That is up 8.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 13,328.

#2,486

rank among US surnames

14,511

people in 2010

4.9

per 100,000 Americans

+8.9%

change since 2000 (was #2,482)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#2,477	Noriega	14,559	21,207
#2,478	Cloud	14,555	21,212
#2,479	Stearns	14,554	21,214
#2,480	Nagel	14,545	21,227
#2,481	Weldon	14,538	21,237
#2,482	Handy	14,537	21,239
#2,483	Lorenz	14,528	21,252

Who is named Salmon

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

69% of people named Salmon identified as white (not Hispanic), 17% as Black (not Hispanic) and 9.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 69%
Black (not Hispanic) 17%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 9.4%
Two or more races 2.1%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Salmons

8 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Colin Salmon
British actor (b. 1962)
Daniel Elmer Salmon
American veterinarian (1850-1914)
Riley Salmon
American volleyball player, born 1976
Thomas P. Salmon
American politician (1932–2025)
Matt Salmon
Arizona politician (born 1958)
Glen Salmon
Association footballer, born 1977
Wesley C. Salmon
American philosopher, 1925–2001
Tim Salmon
American baseball player (born 1968)

Notable Salmons come mostly from the United States (6), the United Kingdom (1) and South Africa (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Salmen

Surnames that sound like Salmon

Salmon has the Soundex code S455, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code S455.

Questions

Where does the surname Salmon come from?: * (Idaho, river): named after the fish, salmon
How common is the surname Salmon?: 14,511 people in the United States had the surname Salmon in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 21,277 Americans. It ranked 2,486th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Salmon?: In the 2010 Census, 69% of people named Salmon identified as white (not Hispanic), and 17% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Salmon?: Colin Salmon, British actor (b. 1962), followed by Daniel Elmer Salmon.
Where is the surname Salmon most common?: Wikidata records people named Salmon in the United States, the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Is the surname Salmon getting more or less common?: More common. 13,328 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 14,511 in 2010, up 8.9%.
What are other spellings of Salmon?: Salmen.