2000
#14,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,938
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Simeon
A biblical surname derived from the Hebrew name Shimon, meaning "he has heard" or "he who hears."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,588 Americans carry the last name Simeon. That puts it at #9,863 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,528 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Simeon 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 Simeon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 95,528
Census rank
#9,863
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,129 bearers of the surname Simeon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9863rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Simeon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.8%. The next largest groups are White (15.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (13.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Simeon
The surname Simeon has its origins in the Hebrew name Shim'on, which means "he has heard" or "he has listened." It is believed to have originated in ancient Israel during biblical times.
The name Simeon first appears in the Book of Genesis as one of the twelve sons of Jacob, the patriarch of the Israelites. Simeon was the second son of Jacob and Leah, and his name was given to one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
In the Middle Ages, the name Simeon was adopted by various European Jewish communities, particularly in France and England. It is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Simeon can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195, where a certain David Simeon is mentioned. Another early reference is found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, which lists a Walter Simeon.
In the 13th century, a prominent English Jew named Rabbi Simeon of Canterbury became known for his work in translating biblical texts from Hebrew to French. He lived from around 1200 to 1270.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure with the surname Simeon was Symeon Seth, a Byzantine scholar and philosopher who lived from around 1035 to 1109. He wrote extensively on various subjects, including medicine, philosophy, and theology.
In the 17th century, a French Huguenot named René Simeon immigrated to England and became a prominent figure in the silk trade. He was born in 1600 and died in 1672.
Another notable bearer of the surname Simeon was Charles Simeon, an English evangelical clergyman and promoter of the missionary movement in the Church of England. He lived from 1759 to 1836 and was known for his influential sermons and writings.
In the 19th century, a French nobleman named Joseph Jérôme Siméon held the position of Minister of the Interior under Napoleon Bonaparte. He was born in 1749 and died in 1842.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Simeon
Among Census respondents with the surname Simeon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.8%. The next largest groups are White (15.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (13.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Simeon 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 Simeon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American57.8% · 1,809
- White15.3% · 480
- Asian and Pacific Islander13.0% · 408
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 251
- Two or more races3.6% · 113
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 68
Timeline
Historical Census data for Simeon
Simeon 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
#11,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,690
+752 bearers (+38.8%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 2,555 places
2020
#9,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,129
+439 bearers (+16.3%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Up 1,790 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,208 | 1,938 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,653 | 2,690 | 0.91 | +752 bearers (+38.8%) | Up 2,555 places |
| 2020 | #9,863 | 3,129 | 1.05 | +439 bearers (+16.3%) | Up 1,790 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 Simeon 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 | #11,653 | #9,863 | 15.4% |
| Count | 2,690 | 3,129 | 16.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 1.05 | 15.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Simeon bearers went from 2,690 to 3,129 (+16.3% change). The surname moved up 1,790 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,653 to #9,863.
FAQ
Simeon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Simeon?
Name Census estimates that about 3,588 living Americans carry the surname Simeon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,528 residents.
How common is Simeon?
Simeon ranks #9,863 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.05 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 3,129 people with the surname Simeon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,588), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.05 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 Simeon.
Has Simeon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Simeon went from 2,690 recorded bearers to 3,129. That is an increase of 439 (+16.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,653 to #9,863.
What does the Census say about the background of Simeon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Simeon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.8%. The next largest groups are White (15.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (13.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Simeon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.8% (1,809 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Simeon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (57.8%), White (15.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (13.0%). 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 Simeon (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 Simeon mean?
A biblical surname derived from the Hebrew name Shimon, meaning "he has heard" or "he 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 Simeon (1.05 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 Simeon?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Simeon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.