2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Simaan
An Arabic surname of Christian origin, meaning "the listener" or "one who hears".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Simaan. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Simaan 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Simaan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Simaan, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Simaan
The surname "SIMAAN" is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the Levant region comprising modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and parts of Jordan and Turkey. It is thought to have emerged in the 7th or 8th century AD, during the early years of the Islamic caliphates that ruled over the region.
The name "SIMAAN" is likely derived from the Arabic word "sim'an," which means "listener" or "attentive one." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to individuals known for their attentiveness or listening skills. Alternatively, it could have been a reference to those employed as listeners or advisors in administrative or judicial roles.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "SIMAAN" can be found in the chronicles of the Mamluk Sultanate, which ruled over parts of the Levant and Egypt from the 13th to the 16th century. These chronicles mention a prominent Sunni Muslim scholar named Simaan al-Dimashqi (1256-1327), who hailed from Damascus and contributed significantly to the study of hadith (prophetic traditions).
In the 15th century, the name appears in connection with the Ottoman Empire's expansion into the Levant region. Historical records mention a notable figure named Simaan Pasha, who served as the governor of Damascus in the late 1400s under the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II.
Another notable bearer of the surname "SIMAAN" was Yusuf Simaan (1839-1912), a Lebanese poet and journalist who played a significant role in the Nahda (Renaissance) movement in the Arab world. He was born in the town of Zahle, Lebanon, and his works contributed to the revival of Arabic literature and culture during the late 19th century.
In the 20th century, one of the most renowned individuals with the surname "SIMAAN" was the Palestinian-American scholar and academic, Edward W. Said (1935-2003). Born in Jerusalem, Said was a prominent literary critic and proponent of the Palestinian cause, best known for his seminal work "Orientalism," which challenged Western perceptions of the East.
Another notable figure with the surname "SIMAAN" was the Lebanese writer and activist Andree Chedid (1920-2011). Born in Cairo to a Lebanese family, Chedid's literary works explored themes of identity, displacement, and the Arab experience. She was a influential voice in the Francophone literary world and received numerous accolades for her contributions.
While the surname "SIMAAN" has its roots in the Middle East, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins can be traced back to the Levant region, where it emerged as a reflection of the region's rich cultural and linguistic heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Simaan
Among Census respondents with the surname Simaan, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Simaan 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 Simaan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Simaan
Simaan 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
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+10 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 9,150 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 Simaan 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 | #154,907 | #145,757 | 5.9% |
| Count | 105 | 115 | 9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Simaan bearers went from 105 to 115 (+9.5% change). The surname moved up 9,150 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #145,757.
FAQ
Simaan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Simaan?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Simaan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Simaan?
Simaan ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Simaan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Simaan.
Has Simaan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Simaan went from 105 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 10 (+9.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Simaan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Simaan, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Simaan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Simaan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Hispanic (2.6%), Black (0.9%). 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 Simaan (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 Simaan mean?
An Arabic surname of Christian origin, meaning "the listener" or "one who hears". 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 Simaan (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 people are called Simaan?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Simaan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.