2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Simning
A surname derived from the Swedish word for "swimming".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Simning. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Simning 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Simning in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Simning, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Simning
The surname Simning has its origins in the Scandinavian countries, particularly in Sweden and Norway. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Old Norse word 'simma,' which means 'to swim' or 'to float.' This suggests that the surname may have been initially given to someone who was a skilled swimmer or lived near a body of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Simning can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval documents dating back to the 13th century. In this collection, there is a reference to a man named Thorbjorn Simning, who lived in the region of Vestfold, Norway, in the late 12th century.
Another early record of the name Simning comes from the Swedish Riddarhuset (House of Nobility) records, which mention a Johan Simning who was born in the late 15th century in the province of Västergötland, Sweden. Johan Simning was a prominent landowner and is believed to have been a member of the local nobility.
In the 16th century, a variant spelling of the name, 'Symning,' appeared in several historical documents from the Danish-Norwegian region. One notable individual with this spelling was Niels Symning, a merchant and ship owner who lived in Bergen, Norway, in the late 16th century.
As the name spread across Scandinavia, it also took on different regional variations and spellings, such as 'Simmen' and 'Simmingen.' One famous bearer of the name was the Swedish author and playwright, Carl August Simning (1794-1868), who was known for his satirical works and plays.
Another notable figure was the Norwegian painter and artist, Olaf Simning (1856-1924), whose works captured the landscapes and rural life of Norway in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Other notable individuals with the surname Simning include the Swedish mathematician and engineer, Gustav Simning (1872-1948), who made significant contributions to the field of hydraulics and fluid mechanics, and the Norwegian composer and conductor, Bjorn Simning (1912-1980), whose works incorporated traditional Norwegian folk melodies.
While the surname Simning is relatively uncommon outside of Scandinavia, it has a rich history and cultural significance, reflecting the strong connections between the name and the natural environment of the Nordic regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Simning
Among Census respondents with the surname Simning, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Simning 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 Simning surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 112
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Simning
Simning 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,800 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+17 bearers (+16.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 14,735 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 7,800 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+16.3%) | Up 14,735 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 Simning 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 | #156,044 | #141,309 | 9.4% |
| Count | 104 | 121 | 16.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Simning bearers went from 104 to 121 (+16.3% change). The surname moved up 14,735 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #141,309.
FAQ
Simning surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Simning?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Simning. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Simning?
Simning ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Simning. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Simning.
Has Simning become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Simning went from 104 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 17 (+16.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Simning?
Among Census respondents with the surname Simning, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Simning in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Simning appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (5.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Simning (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 Simning mean?
A surname derived from the Swedish word for "swimming". 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 Simning (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 have the last name Simning?
See how many Americans have the surname Simning on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.