Simms
Of Norman-French origin, meaning "son of Simon" or "son of the flat-nosed one".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Simms. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Simms today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Simms births was 2010 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Simms. 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 Simms. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2010
5 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2010 SSA rank
#13,963
Tracked since 2010
Popularity
Simms: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Simms 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 Simms during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Simms
The name Simms is an English surname derived from the given name Simon. It originated as a nickname or diminutive form of the name Simon, which itself has its roots in the ancient Hebrew name Shim'on, meaning "he has heard" or "he has listened." The name Simon gained widespread popularity across Europe during the Middle Ages, particularly after the biblical figure Simon Peter, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ.
In its earliest recorded usage, the name Simms appeared as a surname in England as early as the 13th century. One of the earliest documented instances of the name Simms can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which recorded landowners in England during the reign of King Edward I. The name was likely adopted as a surname by individuals who were originally known by the given name Simon or one of its diminutive forms, such as Sim or Simms.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Simms as their first name. One prominent figure was Simms Olding (1784-1864), an English engraver and artist who was known for his illustrations of biblical scenes and portraits of notable figures. Another was Simms Reeves (1826-1900), an English tenor singer who was acclaimed for his performances in operas by composers such as Handel and Mozart.
In the realm of literature, the name Simms is associated with William Gilmore Simms (1806-1870), a renowned American writer, poet, and literary critic who is considered one of the most important figures in the literature of the American South. Simms wrote numerous novels, short stories, and poetry collections, and played a significant role in shaping the literary culture of the antebellum period.
Another notable figure was Simms McCallin (1935-2019), an American country music singer and songwriter who achieved success in the 1960s and 1970s with hits like "The Old Man's Back in Town" and "Honky Tonk Wine." He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry and was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame.
Simms Howard (1925-2004) was an American football player and coach who played professionally for the Chicago Bears and later served as the head coach of the Boston Patriots (now the New England Patriots) in the 1960s. He was also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame for his achievements as a player at Vanderbilt University.
People
Simms + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Simms 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
Simms: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Simms?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Simms 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Simms a common name?
We classify Simms as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Simms most popular?
The single biggest year for Simms was 2010, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Simms is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Simms in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Simms a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Simms 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.
Is Simms still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Simms in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Simms can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Simms?
Want to know how many Americans are named Simms? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.