2000
#12,352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,307
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Simmers
A surname derived from the occupation of a maker or seller of sieves, from Old English "simere".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,558 Americans carry the last name Simmers. That puts it at #13,139 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,993 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Simmers 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 Simmers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 133,993
Census rank
#13,139
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,231 bearers of the surname Simmers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13139th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Simmers, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Simmers
The surname Simmers has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old Scots word "simmer," which means "summer." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who was born or lived in the summer months.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Simmers surname can be found in the Parish Registers of Lanarkshire, Scotland, where a William Simmers was listed in 1575. Additionally, the name appears in the Aberdeen Council Registers of the same century, indicating its presence in different regions of Scotland.
The Simmers name has also been linked to the village of Simmers in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is plausible that the surname originated from this place name, with early bearers potentially hailing from or residing in this area.
Historically, the name Simmers has been recorded with various spellings, such as Symers, Symmeris, and Symmers, reflecting the linguistic evolution and regional variations common in ancient times.
Notable individuals bearing the Simmers surname include:
1. Robert Simmers (1680-1744), a Scottish philosopher and theologian known for his works on natural religion and moral philosophy.
2. Elizabeth Simmers (1793-1867), a British novelist and poet, whose writings explored themes of social critique and women's experiences.
3. John Simmers (1825-1892), a Scottish engineer and inventor who patented several innovations in steam engine technology.
4. David Simmers (1860-1928), a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
5. Margaret Simmers (1901-1984), an American artist renowned for her landscape paintings and contributions to the Regionalist art movement.
While the Simmers surname may not be among the most widespread, its history is deeply rooted in the Scottish heritage and has left an indelible mark across various fields, from literature and philosophy to engineering and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Simmers
Among Census respondents with the surname Simmers, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Simmers 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 Simmers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 1,967
- Two or more races5.0% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 38
- Black or African American1.6% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Simmers
Simmers 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
#12,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,497
+190 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 88 places
2020
#13,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,231
-266 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 699 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,352 | 2,307 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,440 | 2,497 | 0.85 | +190 bearers (+8.2%) | Down 88 places |
| 2020 | #13,139 | 2,231 | 0.75 | -266 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 699 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 Simmers 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 | #12,440 | #13,139 | -5.6% |
| Count | 2,497 | 2,231 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.75 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Simmers bearers went from 2,497 to 2,231 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 699 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,440 to #13,139.
FAQ
Simmers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Simmers?
Name Census estimates that about 2,558 living Americans carry the surname Simmers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,993 residents.
How common is Simmers?
Simmers ranks #13,139 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,231 people with the surname Simmers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,558), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Simmers.
Has Simmers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Simmers went from 2,497 recorded bearers to 2,231. That is a decrease of 266 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,440 to #13,139.
What does the Census say about the background of Simmers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Simmers, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Simmers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (1,967 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Simmers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Simmers (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 Simmers mean?
A surname derived from the occupation of a maker or seller of sieves, from Old English "simere". 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 Simmers (0.75 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 Simmers?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.