2000
#14,622
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,866
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Simoes
A Portuguese toponymic surname derived from the plural of Simão (Simon), likely referring to a family from Simões, Portugal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,663 Americans carry the last name Simoes. That puts it at #12,697 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,710 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Simoes 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 Simoes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 128,710
Census rank
#12,697
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,322 bearers of the surname Simoes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12697th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Simoes, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Simoes
The surname Simoes originates from Portugal, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the given name Simão, which is the Portuguese form of the biblical name Simon. The name likely has its roots in the Hebrew word "shama," meaning "to hear" or "to listen."
In the 13th century, the name Simoes appeared in various Portuguese records and manuscripts, indicating its prevalence in the region during that time. One of the earliest documented instances of the surname can be found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical record from the 13th century.
The name Simoes is closely associated with the town of Simões, located in the municipality of Viana do Castelo in northern Portugal. It is believed that the surname may have originated from this place name or vice versa, reflecting the connection between the name and the geographic region.
Notable figures throughout history who bore the surname Simoes include João Simoes, a Portuguese explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his voyage to India in the late 15th century. Another prominent individual was Pedro Simoes, a 16th-century Portuguese architect renowned for his contributions to the architectural style known as Manueline.
In the 17th century, Luís Simoes da Silva was a celebrated Portuguese painter known for his religious works and portraits. During the same period, Miguel Simoes de Morais was a respected jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Portuguese courts.
Moving into the 18th century, José Simoes de Carvalho was a notable Portuguese military commander who played a significant role in the Napoleonic Wars, particularly in the defense of Portugal against French invasion.
The surname Simoes has a rich history deeply rooted in Portuguese culture and tradition, with its origins dating back to the medieval period. Its prevalence and prominence in various fields, from exploration and architecture to the arts and law, testify to the enduring legacy of this surname throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Simoes
Among Census respondents with the surname Simoes, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Simoes 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 Simoes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 2,040
- Hispanic or Latino7.4% · 172
- Two or more races2.0% · 46
- Black or African American1.5% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Simoes
Simoes 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
#13,737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,203
+337 bearers (+18.1%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 885 places
2020
#12,697
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,322
+119 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 1,040 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,622 | 1,866 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,737 | 2,203 | 0.75 | +337 bearers (+18.1%) | Up 885 places |
| 2020 | #12,697 | 2,322 | 0.78 | +119 bearers (+5.4%) | Up 1,040 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 Simoes 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 | #13,737 | #12,697 | 7.6% |
| Count | 2,203 | 2,322 | 5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.78 | 3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Simoes bearers went from 2,203 to 2,322 (+5.4% change). The surname moved up 1,040 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,737 to #12,697.
FAQ
Simoes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Simoes?
Name Census estimates that about 2,663 living Americans carry the surname Simoes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,710 residents.
How common is Simoes?
Simoes ranks #12,697 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,322 people with the surname Simoes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,663), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Simoes.
Has Simoes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Simoes went from 2,203 recorded bearers to 2,322. That is an increase of 119 (+5.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,737 to #12,697.
What does the Census say about the background of Simoes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Simoes, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Simoes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (2,040 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Simoes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Hispanic (7.4%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Simoes (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 Simoes mean?
A Portuguese toponymic surname derived from the plural of Simão (Simon), likely referring to a family from Simões, Portugal. 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 Simoes (0.78 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 surname Simoes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.