2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Simkovich
A surname derived from the Hebrew name Simcha, meaning joy or gladness.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Simkovich. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Simkovich 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Simkovich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Simkovich, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Simkovich
The surname Simkovich has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in Belarus and Ukraine, where it emerged in the 17th century. It is derived from the Russian word "sim," meaning "seven," and the suffix "-kovich," indicating a patronymic form, meaning "son of." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to the seventh son in a family.
One of the earliest known records of the Simkovich name dates back to the late 17th century, when it appeared in a registry of landowners in the Vitebsk region of modern-day Belarus. The name was also found in various tax and census records from the 18th and 19th centuries in the regions of Polotsk and Mogilev, now part of Belarus.
In the 19th century, the Simkovich surname gained prominence with the birth of Nikolai Simkovich (1829-1892), a notable Russian military officer and writer. He authored several works on military strategy and tactics, including a treatise on the Crimean War.
Another notable figure bearing the Simkovich name was Yevgeny Simkovich (1876-1944), a Russian artist and painter known for his landscapes and portraits. His works were exhibited in several prestigious galleries across Europe in the early 20th century.
Olga Simkovich (1890-1976), a Soviet botanist and academic, made significant contributions to the study of plant physiology and genetics. She taught at several universities in Russia and published numerous scientific papers throughout her career.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Simkovich name dates back to the late 19th century, when immigrants from Eastern Europe began arriving in large numbers. One notable American with this surname was Michael Simkovich (1908-1997), a prominent architect who designed several landmark buildings in New York City, including the United Nations Plaza Hotel.
Another individual of note was Boris Simkovich (1923-2011), a Russian-American chess grandmaster and author of several influential books on chess strategy and tactics. He was a respected figure in the international chess community and played a significant role in popularizing the game in the United States.
While the Simkovich surname has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with many individuals bearing this name making notable contributions in various fields, from the arts and sciences to military and architecture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Simkovich
Among Census respondents with the surname Simkovich, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Simkovich 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 Simkovich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 114
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Simkovich
Simkovich 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-14 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,329 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 21,329 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 1,173 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 Simkovich 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 | #146,201 | #145,028 | 0.8% |
| Count | 113 | 116 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Simkovich bearers went from 113 to 116 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 1,173 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #145,028.
FAQ
Simkovich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Simkovich?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Simkovich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Simkovich?
Simkovich ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Simkovich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Simkovich.
Has Simkovich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Simkovich went from 113 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Simkovich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Simkovich, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (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 Simkovich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Simkovich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), Black (0.9%), Hispanic (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 Simkovich (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 Simkovich mean?
A surname derived from the Hebrew name Simcha, meaning joy or gladness. 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 Simkovich (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 Simkovich?
Find out how many people have the surname Simkovich on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.