Simmons
A variant form of the name Simon with Hebrew roots meaning "he has heard".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Simmons. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 63.0% of registrations being male. The average person named Simmons today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Simmons births was 1919 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Simmons. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Simmons. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1919
7 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
1919 SSA rank
#3,694
Tracked since 1913
Gender
Gender distribution for Simmons
Simmons is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 27 total registrations, 17 (63.0%) were male and 10 (37.0%) were female.
Simmons as a male name
- Ranked #3,694 in 1919
- 7 male births in 1919
- Peak: 1919 (7 births)
Simmons as a female name
- Ranked #17,411 in 2022
- 5 female births in 2022
- Peak: 2021 (5 births)
Popularity
Simmons: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Simmons from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 17 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Simmons remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Simmons by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Simmons during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Simmons
The name Simmons is an English given name derived from the biblical name Simon, which has its roots in the Hebrew name Shim'on, meaning "he has heard" or "he has listened." The name Simon was popularized through the New Testament figure Simon Peter, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ.
Historically, the name Simmons emerged as a medieval English diminutive form of Simon, with the addition of the suffix "-mons" or "-mon." This suffix was commonly used to create pet names or nicknames from longer given names during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Simmons can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Simun," a variant spelling of Simon.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the given name Simmons. One of the earliest was Simmons of Frith, an English clergyman and theologian who lived in the 12th century and served as a canon of St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
Another historical figure was Simmons Sutton, a 14th-century English landowner and member of Parliament who represented Somerset in the House of Commons during the reign of Edward III.
In the realm of literature, Simmons Bunbury was an English playwright and poet who lived in the 17th century. He is best known for his satirical works and collaborations with other renowned writers of the time.
Moving into the 19th century, Simmons Ryder was a prominent American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Virginia from 1835 to 1841.
More recently, Simmons Battey was an American gynecologist and surgeon who lived in the late 19th century. He is credited with developing a surgical procedure known as the Battey operation, which involved removing the ovaries to treat certain conditions in women.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the given name Simmons throughout history, reflecting its enduring presence and adaptability across different eras and cultures.
People
Simmons + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Simmons as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Simmons: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Simmons?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Simmons going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Simmons a common name?
We classify Simmons as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 27 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Simmons most popular?
The single biggest year for Simmons was 1919, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Simmons is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Simmons a male name?
Yes, 63.0% of people registered as Simmons in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.