2000
#8,084
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,777
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.40
Rare Last name
Simmonds
Derived from the medieval personal name Simon, meaning "to hear" or "to listen," often referring to an obedient person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,480 Americans carry the last name Simmonds. That puts it at #6,783 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,546 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Simmonds 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 Simmonds with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 62,546
Census rank
#6,783
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,779 bearers of the surname Simmonds in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6783rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Simmonds, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.8%. The next largest groups are Black (31.2%) and Hispanic (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Simmonds
The surname Simmonds has its origins in England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English name "Sigemund" or "Sigmund", which is a compound of the elements "sige" (meaning victory) and "mund" (meaning protection or hand).
The earliest recorded instances of the Simmonds surname can be found in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a Roger Symund. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a Thomas Symound is listed.
In the 14th century, the surname was often spelled as "Symond" or "Symound", reflecting the evolution of the name's pronunciation over time. The spelling "Simmonds" became more common in the 16th and 17th centuries, as standardized spelling practices emerged.
One notable historical figure who bore the Simmonds surname was Sir John Simmonds (1515-1587), an English politician and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He served as Sheriff of London and was knighted in 1576.
Another prominent individual was Samuel Simmonds (c. 1675-1749), an English dissenting minister and author. He was a prolific writer and published works on various religious and philosophical topics.
In the 19th century, James Simmonds (1837-1897) was a British naturalist and author who specialized in the study of marine biology. He published several books on sea creatures and marine life.
Robert Simmonds (1836-1905) was a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the former Westminster Fire Station and the Church of St. Mary in Twickenham.
Another notable bearer of the Simmonds surname was Sir John St. Vincent Simmonds (1846-1922), a British naval officer and admiral. He served in the Royal Navy during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was knighted for his service.
The Simmonds surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Simmondsbury in Gloucestershire and Simmonds Hill in Buckinghamshire, further reinforcing its deep roots in the country's history and geography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Simmonds
Among Census respondents with the surname Simmonds, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.8%. The next largest groups are Black (31.2%) and Hispanic (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Simmonds 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 Simmonds surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.8% · 2,761
- Black or African American31.2% · 1,490
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 252
- Two or more races3.7% · 177
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Simmonds
Simmonds 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
#7,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,379
+602 bearers (+15.9%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Up 493 places
2020
#6,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,779
+400 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Up 808 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,084 | 3,777 | 1.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,591 | 4,379 | 1.48 | +602 bearers (+15.9%) | Up 493 places |
| 2020 | #6,783 | 4,779 | 1.60 | +400 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 808 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 Simmonds 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 | #7,591 | #6,783 | 10.6% |
| Count | 4,379 | 4,779 | 9.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.48 | 1.60 | 8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Simmonds bearers went from 4,379 to 4,779 (+9.1% change). The surname moved up 808 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,591 to #6,783.
FAQ
Simmonds surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Simmonds?
Name Census estimates that about 5,480 living Americans carry the surname Simmonds. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,546 residents.
How common is Simmonds?
Simmonds ranks #6,783 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,779 people with the surname Simmonds. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,480), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Simmonds.
Has Simmonds become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Simmonds went from 4,379 recorded bearers to 4,779. That is an increase of 400 (+9.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,591 to #6,783.
What does the Census say about the background of Simmonds?
Among Census respondents with the surname Simmonds, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.8%. The next largest groups are Black (31.2%) and Hispanic (5.3%). 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 Simmonds in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.8% (2,761 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Simmonds appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.8%), Black (31.2%), Hispanic (5.3%). 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 Simmonds (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 Simmonds mean?
Derived from the medieval personal name Simon, meaning "to hear" or "to listen," often referring to an obedient person. 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 Simmonds (1.60 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 Simmonds?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.