American Samoa Family History Research

American Samoa

American Samoa Family History Research can be challenging. As in the case of other U.S. Unincorporated Territories (Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam) some important records are likely lost, are not available online or exist only in inaccessible archives. This article aims to assist the family historian with information, strategies and sources with their genealogical research specifically for American Samoa. You may want to start with a separate Wiki overview article on How To Research Family History In United States Unincorporated Territories which provides further, more general guidance for these entities.

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History of American SamoaHistory of American Samoa

Samoan King Mataafa & Chiefs with popular American correspondent for the New York World, John Klien, about 1888.

American Samoa’s history begins with Polynesian settlement about 3,000 years ago, forming one of the oldest distinct cultures in the South Pacific. European contact started in the 18^th century bringing explorers, traders and Christian missionaries to the islands. With this contact also came increasing rivalry between competing colonial powers. The 1899 Tripartite Convention between Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States divided the Samoan archipelago at roughly the 171° meridian West. The western part of the archipelago became what is today the independent country of Samoa. The islands east of the meridian came under U.S. control. Local chiefs later also ceded the islands of Tutuila (1900) and Manuʻa (1904) to the U.S. creating what became known as American Samoa. This group of islands were initially administered by the U.S. Navy as a strategic outpost with the town of Pago Pago, as its hub. Administration shifted from the Navy to the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1956.

Today, American Samoa remains an unorganised, unincorporated U.S. territory. “Unorganised” means the U.S. Congress has never passed an Organic Act to formally establish the territory's government structure. A 1949 proposal was defeated after Samoan chiefs opposed it, fearing loss of cultural autonomy. Subsequently the territorial legislature (the Fono) gradually expanded self-government powers while the territory maintained close defence and political ties with the United States.

Residents of American Samoa are U.S. nationals but not U.S. citizens by birth. They hold U.S. passports stamped "non-citizen national" and enjoy visa-free U.S. entry and eligibility for military service. They do not have full citizenship protections under the U.S. Constitution. American Samoans elect one non-voting Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. They cannot vote in U.S. presidential elections.

Along with its neighbour, independent Samoa, American Samoa still retains a strong faʻa Samoa (“The Samoan Way”) tradition which tempers the territory's U.S. connection. This ancient cultural foundation emphasises a lifestyle centred on family, community respect and service. faʻa Samoa dictates all aspects of Samoan life, including social etiquette, practical governance and daily routines.

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Common surnames in American Samoa, their origin and accepted meaningsCommon surnames in American Samoa, their origin and accepted meanings

Typical Samoan surnames

Common American Samoan surnames are mostly local language names and are tied to chiefs, clan, land, spirituality or nature. Christian and foreign influences have sometimes been incorporated in these names. Spellings and usage in American Samoa also overlap heavily with surnames in neighbouring independent Samoa.

Traditionally, Samoans used a single given name plus a matai (chiefly) title for identity. Western-style hereditary surnames did not exist. Surnames began appearing only after sustained European contact and tighter administrative control in the late 19^th century, when officials needed stable family names for records and taxation. Missionaries and colonial administrators promoted Christian given names and European-style family names, sometimes assigning or standardising them in baptism, school, or legal records.

Some Samoans themselves adopted Anglo or European surnames because these were perceived to improve employment and social opportunities under colonial rule. Other Samoans began using patronymic-style surnames, turning a father’s or ancestor’s given name into a hereditary family name.

MyHeritage includes a database of covering thousands of last names, which include those often associated with American Samoa. There are several websites which list the most common surnames in the Territory. Some popular American Samoan surnames of local, often chiefly, origin are:

• Aiono: Originates as a high-ranking chiefly title; meaning “chief” or “noble leader.”
• Leota: Believed to derive from the Samoan word leota, which translates to to be blessed or to be favoured.
• Mauga: Literally “mountain,” symbolising strength, stability, and sometimes a specific place of origin.
• Faumuina: Derived from the Samoan word faumuina, which translates to to "be a leader" or "to guide".
• Fuimaono: Literally “house of the chief,” indicating residence with or descent from a paramount chief.
• Satele: Another leadership or chiefly title.
• Taito: "A chief’s title” or “one who holds a title.”
• Mataʻafa: "Eyes of the king/chief,” historically borne by high-ranking chiefly lines.
• Pule: Believed to be derived from term Pule'anga which translates to kingdom or sovereignty, reflecting a historical connection to governance and authority.
• Tuiasosopo: Compound of tui (king/chief) and a place or lineage name “king/chief of Sosopo.”

Common non‑Samoan‑origin surnames in American Samoa are often from English, American or Asian (mainly Korean) origin due to historical contact, migration and intermarriage. Examples include: Smith, Brown, Kim, Thompson, Lee, Young and Scanlan.

Some prominent American Samoans and people associated with the islandSome prominent American Samoans and people associated with the island

Tulsi Gabbard

Politics and government

• Tulsi Gabbard: Former U.S. Representative for Hawaii’s 2nd district, first Samoan-American voting member of Congress, born in Leloaloa, American Samoa. Currently (January 2026) serving as U.S. Director of National Intelligence.
• Aumua Amata Radewagen: Non-voting Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives for American Samoa since 2015.
• Lemanu Peleti Mauga: Governor of American Samoa, (2021-2025). Previously lieutenant governor and military veteran.
• Eni Faleomavaega: Served as the territory's third lieutenant governor (1985-1989) and non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives (1989-2015).

Sports

• Shalom Luani: American football safety who has played in the NFL and was born in American Samoa.
• Isaac Sopoaga: NFL defensive tackle, drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, born in American Samoa.
• Jerome Kaino – Two-time Rugby World Cup–winning All Black (New Zealand), born in Fagaʻalu, American Samoa.

Entertainment and Arts

• Monica Galetti: New Zealand chef and television personality, born and raised in American Samoa.
• Marion Malena: American Samoan-born beauty pageant winner.

See AlsoSee Also

• United States
• United States family history records
• US National Archives
• United States Census: State And Territorial Census Records
• How To Research Family History In United States Unincorporated Territories
• Polynesian ethnicity
• Samoa surnames
• Samoan historical records

Explore more about family history research in American SamoaExplore more about family history research in American Samoa

Researching family history in American Samoa combines online records, local archives, and village- or church-based information. Focusing on both formal documents and faʻa Samoa oral traditions gives the best results. The first step is to collate and record as much information as possible about names and locations associated with persons of interest. This will help you match people in records that may be fragmented and navigate any surname shifts that may have occurred over time.

Deeper research on in American Samoa family history may also require a visit to the island or hiring an expert genealogist as it typically involves inspection of physical records which are not available online.

Online Information

• For general research on American Samoa you can start with MyHeritagewhich offers over 15 million U.S. records spread across more than 3,600 individual collections. Among these collections is the full set of USA census records from 1790 to 1950, with a total of 650 million names. These records constitute the single most important source of documentation for family history in the USA. For family research on the American Samoa the 1920, 1930, 1940 U.S. Census records are on particular value.
• The National Archives holds records of the Government of American Samoa from 1900 to 1966. This holding includes many administrative and judicial records which may include details of individual American Samoans.
• U.S. naval records for American Samoa (1900–1951) and the Fitafita Guard (an elite local unit serving under the U.S. Navy) are primarily held at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), specifically under Record Group 284 (Government of American Samoa) and Record Group 181 (Naval Districts and Shore Establishments). These records cover the naval station era (1899 - 1951) and include personnel files, station logs, and administrative files.
• An arm of the American Samoan territorial government, the American Samoa Archives and Records Center, holds post-1970 government, land, school, and administrative records relevant to family research.
• The American Samoa Genealogy and American Samoa Online Genealogy Records pages on FamilySearch, a free online resource supported by the Church of Latter-day Saints (Morman), provides access to a wide range of vital (birth, marriage and death), census, church, military and cemetery records for the Territory.
• An amateur genealogist, Bob Jenkins, has created and hosts a website to provide genealogy information and links to genealogy information to assist people in researching their American Samoa roots. This website covers the history of the Territory, biographies of important American Samoans, vital records, cemeteries and census data, maps, as well as military and newspaper archives and yearbooks.
• Another free portal, Cyndi's List, also offers links to multiple online resources for American Samoan genealogical research.

Church and religious records

• Having identified the religious denomination of the person you are researching (in the American Samoan context most often being Congregational, Catholic, Methodist or Morman) you can consult American Samoa church record guides on FamilySearch. This will help point you towards relevant church records and guidance on how to access them.
• Older parish registers may also be available through the offices of each congregation in the Territory. Google "American Samoa diocesan or mission offices" to find specific contact details.

Oral genealogy and village information

• Village councils in American Samoa are the foundational governing bodies for local affairs. Council members often have deep knowledge of people, historical titles and land holdings in that village. Contact with the village council associated with a person being researched may reveal important details of that person's lineage. This Wikipedia page lists all the village councils in American Samoa.

• Try searching oral genealogies in FamilySearch’s American Samoa collections. According to FamilySearch these oral records include the ".....genealogies of those interviewed.....as well as historical accounts, charts, drawings, family genealogy books and other records. Most pedigrees begin with the earliest known ancestor and continue to the late twentieth century. Persons interviewed in the oral genealogy project gave names of family members, living relatives, names of deceased ancestors, relationships, and other family history details, often extending back to the nineteenth century and sometimes earlier."

References

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