Find out how popular the last name Semple is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Semple.

Semple, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Semple surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Semple in America

Semple is the 11904th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Semple surname appeared 2,630 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Semple.

We can also compare 2010 data for Semple to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Semple

The surname SEMPLE is of Scottish origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word 'sempyll', which means 'simple' or 'humble'. The name is believed to have originated in the parish of Semple, located in Renfrewshire, Scotland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SEMPLE can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where it appears as 'Robert de Sempill'. This document was a record of Scottish nobles who swore fealty to Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence.

In the 14th century, the SEMPLE family gained prominence as they became major landowners in Renfrewshire. Sir Robert Semple, who lived from around 1330 to 1389, was a prominent figure during this time and was known for his loyalty to King Robert II of Scotland.

The SEMPLE name can also be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which were financial records kept by the Scottish government in the 15th and 16th centuries. This suggests that members of the SEMPLE family held positions of importance within the Scottish administration.

One notable bearer of the SEMPLE name was Sir James Semple (1566-1625), a Scottish diplomat and politician who served as Lord President of the College of Justice in Scotland. He was also a member of the Privy Council and played a crucial role in the negotiations that led to the Union of the Crowns in 1603.

Another prominent figure was Robert Semple (1766-1816), a Scottish writer and philosopher who was a leading figure in the Scottish Enlightenment. He was known for his work on logic and philosophy of language.

In the 19th century, Sir James Semple (1829-1892) was a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of Glasgow. He was also a member of the Royal Company of Archers, the Queen's bodyguard for Scotland.

The SEMPLE name has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Semple Parish, Semple Castle, and Semple Loch, all of which are located in Renfrewshire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Semple

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Semple.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Semple was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Semple has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Semple was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Semple, please contact us.

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