Yes, there are factory 2WD Samurai's. I saw a few of them when I was looking for my first one. That was over ten years ago, haven't seen too many here lately.
I can not remember if you can tell from the VIN if it a 4WD or a 2WD. But a 2WD would be really easy to convert to 4WD. Something to think about when you are looking at beat up 4WD's and happen to look at a 2WD that has been towed behind a motor home for most of it's life.