2000
#1,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,296
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.75
Uncommon Last name
Simms
Derived from a medieval form of Simon, which comes from the Hebrew name Shimon, meaning "he has heard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 29,021 Americans carry the last name Simms. That puts it at #1,371 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,811 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Simms 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 Simms with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
29K
1 in 11,811
Census rank
#1,371
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,308 bearers of the surname Simms in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1371st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Simms, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Black (40.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Simms
The surname Simms has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the medieval English personal name 'Sim', which is a shortened form of 'Simon'. The name Simon itself is of Hebrew origin, meaning 'he has heard'.
Simms is believed to have originated as a patronymic surname, meaning it was originally used to identify someone as the son of Sim or Simon. Early records show variations in spelling, such as Sims, Simmes, and Symms.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Simms can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1195, where a man named William Simmes is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also include entries for individuals with the surname Simms.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various locations across England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Essex. Some notable individuals with the surname Simms during this period include John Simms, a merchant from London who was mentioned in records from 1379, and Robert Simms, a landowner in Cambridgeshire who was recorded in the Feet of Fines in 1390.
Over the centuries, the Simms surname has been associated with various place names in England, such as Simmondley in Derbyshire and Simmondburn in Northumberland. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in certain regions.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Simms surname in England is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Simund is mentioned in Norfolk. While not directly related to the surname Simms, this entry suggests the presence of similar names in the region at the time.
Notable individuals with the surname Simms throughout history include:
1. William Gilmore Simms (1806-1870), an American writer and poet from South Carolina.
2. Frederick Walter Simms (1803-1865), an English painter known for his landscapes and coastal scenes.
3. Andrew Simms (1756-1832), an English clergyman and writer who served as the Rector of St. Paul's Church in Deptford.
4. Michael Simms (1928-2012), an American actor and voice artist best known for his work in animation.
5. William Simms (1832-1903), a English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Sussex County Cricket Club.
The surname Simms has a rich history, spanning centuries and crossing various regions of England, before eventually spreading to other parts of the world through migration and settlement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Simms
Among Census respondents with the surname Simms, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Black (40.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Simms 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 Simms surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.1% · 12,678
- Black or African American40.4% · 10,236
- Two or more races4.9% · 1,252
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 876
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 157
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 109
Timeline
Historical Census data for Simms
Simms 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
#1,340
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,287
-9 bearers (-0.0%)
Per 100,000 8.91
Rank movement Down 119 places
2020
#1,371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,308
-979 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 8.47
Rank movement Down 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,221 | 26,296 | 9.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,340 | 26,287 | 8.91 | -9 bearers (-0.0%) | Down 119 places |
| 2020 | #1,371 | 25,308 | 8.47 | -979 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 31 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 Simms 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 | #1,340 | #1,371 | -2.3% |
| Count | 26,287 | 25,308 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 8.91 | 8.47 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Simms bearers went from 26,287 to 25,308 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,340 to #1,371.
FAQ
Simms surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Simms?
Name Census estimates that about 29,021 living Americans carry the surname Simms. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,811 residents.
How common is Simms?
Simms ranks #1,371 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,308 people with the surname Simms. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (29,021), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Simms.
Has Simms become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Simms went from 26,287 recorded bearers to 25,308. That is a decrease of 979 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,340 to #1,371.
What does the Census say about the background of Simms?
Among Census respondents with the surname Simms, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Black (40.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Simms in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.1% (12,678 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Simms appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.1%), Black (40.4%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Simms (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 Simms mean?
Derived from a medieval form of Simon, which comes from the Hebrew name Shimon, meaning "he has heard." 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 Simms (8.47 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 have the last name Simms?
Want to know how common the surname Simms is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.