2010
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shimmons
A locative surname derived from a place name containing a word related to "shim" meaning boundary or border between two areas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Shimmons. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shimmons 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.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Shimmons in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shimmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shimmons
The surname Shimmons is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the region of Shropshire, during the late medieval period. Its earliest recorded spelling was "Schymonis," derived from the Old English word "scimian," meaning "to shine," suggesting a possible connection to an ancestor's occupation or physical appearance.
One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the Shropshire Pipe Rolls of 1274, where a certain William Schymonis is mentioned as a landowner. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 also list a John Shymmons among the taxpayers.
In the 15th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of England, as evidenced by the record of a Thomas Shymmons in the Feet of Fines of Yorkshire in 1486. This document provides a glimpse into the legal transactions and property ownership of individuals during that time.
As the name evolved over the centuries, various spelling variations emerged, including Shymmons, Schimmons, and the modern form, Shimmons. One notable bearer of this surname was Sir Richard Shimmons (1564-1623), a prominent merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London.
Another individual of significance was John Shimmons (1676-1745), a renowned clockmaker from Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, whose intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the gentry of the time. His son, William Shimmons (1712-1788), continued the family's horological legacy and became a respected clockmaker in his own right.
In the 18th century, the Shimmons family had established a presence in the county of Oxfordshire, where they were involved in agriculture and landholding. Notable among them was Thomas Shimmons (1723-1799), a prosperous farmer and landowner in the village of Kidlington.
During the 19th century, the name gained global recognition through the exploits of Captain Edward Shimmons (1813-1887), a British naval officer who served with distinction in the Royal Navy and was awarded the prestigious Order of the Bath for his bravery during the Crimean War.
While this report focuses on the historical aspects of the surname Shimmons, it is worth noting that the name continues to be carried forward by individuals from various walks of life, contributing to the rich tapestry of family histories and cultural legacies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shimmons
Among Census respondents with the surname Shimmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Shimmons 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 Shimmons surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 102
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shimmons
Shimmons appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-10 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 10,361 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 Shimmons 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 | #138,304 | #148,665 | -7.5% |
| Count | 121 | 111 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shimmons bearers went from 121 to 111 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 10,361 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #148,665.
FAQ
Shimmons surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shimmons?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Shimmons. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Shimmons?
Shimmons ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Shimmons. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Shimmons.
Has Shimmons become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shimmons went from 121 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Shimmons?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shimmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Shimmons in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shimmons appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Black (1.8%). 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 Shimmons (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 Shimmons mean?
A locative surname derived from a place name containing a word related to "shim" meaning boundary or border between two areas. 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 Shimmons (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Shimmons?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.