2000
#12,256
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,329
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Semple
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a person who made simple goods or performed basic tasks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,775 Americans carry the last name Semple. That puts it at #12,280 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,515 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Semple surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Semple with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 123,515
Census rank
#12,280
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,420 bearers of the surname Semple in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12280th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Semple, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Semple
Among Census respondents with the surname Semple, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Semple bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Semple surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.4% · 1,751
- Black or African American21.0% · 509
- Two or more races3.1% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Semple
Semple appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,904
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,630
+301 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Up 352 places
2020
#12,280
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,420
-210 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 376 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,256 | 2,329 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,904 | 2,630 | 0.89 | +301 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 352 places |
| 2020 | #12,280 | 2,420 | 0.81 | -210 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 376 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Semple surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,904 | #12,280 | -3.2% |
| Count | 2,630 | 2,420 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.81 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Semple bearers went from 2,630 to 2,420 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 376 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,904 to #12,280.
FAQ
Semple surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Semple?
Name Census estimates that about 2,775 living Americans carry the surname Semple. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,515 residents.
How common is Semple?
Semple ranks #12,280 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,420 people with the surname Semple. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,775), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Semple.
Has Semple become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Semple went from 2,630 recorded bearers to 2,420. That is a decrease of 210 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,904 to #12,280.
What does the Census say about the background of Semple?
Among Census respondents with the surname Semple, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Semple in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.4% (1,751 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Semple appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.4%), Black (21.0%), Two or More Races (3.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Semple (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Semple mean?
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a person who made simple goods or performed basic tasks. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Semple (0.81 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Semple?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.