Simonds last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Simonds is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Simonds.

Meaning of Simonds

Derived from the given name Simon, meaning "to be heard" or "reputation."

Simonds, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Simonds surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Simonds in America

Simonds is the 6429th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Simonds surname appeared 5,284 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Simonds.

We can also compare 2010 data for Simonds to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 6429 6542 -1.74%
Count 5,284 4,779 10.04%
Proportion per 100k 1.79 1.77 1.12%

The history of the last name Simonds

The surname Simonds is of English origin, derived from the medieval personal name Simond, itself a Norman French form of the ancient Germanic name Sigmund. It is composed of the elements 'sige' meaning victory and 'mund' meaning protection. The name Sigmund was introduced to Britain by the Normans after the conquest of 1066.

The earliest recorded instances of the Simonds surname date back to the late 12th century, with mentions found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire and Somerset. In 1196, a Robert Simond is listed as holding lands in Berkshire. The name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the southern counties of England during the Middle Ages.

In the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, several individuals with the name Simond are recorded, though the surname had not yet fully developed at that time. These include a Simond who held lands in Warwickshire and a Simond who was a tenant in Hertfordshire.

The surname Simonds has seen various spellings throughout history, including Symonds, Symons, Simmons, and Simmonds. These variations often arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies of early record-keeping. The name has also been associated with several place names, such as Symondsbury in Dorset and Symondsborough in Somerset.

Notable individuals with the surname Simonds include:

  1. Richard Simonds (1579-1644), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for Andover in 1628.
  2. Sir John Simonds (1601-1692), an English judge who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer from 1676 to 1692.
  3. Samuel Simonds (1628-1689), one of the founders of Haverhill, Massachusetts, and a prominent figure in the early colonization of New England.
  4. Sir John Simonds (1815-1904), a British judge and Lord Justice of Appeal, known for his contributions to the development of English contract law.
  5. Jean Simonds (1912-2003), a Canadian painter and member of the Painters Eleven group, known for her abstract expressionist works.

The surname Simonds has a rich history, tracing its roots back to the Norman conquest of England and the ancient Germanic name Sigmund. Over the centuries, it has been borne by notable individuals in various fields, including law, politics, and the arts.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Simonds

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Simonds.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Simonds was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 92.60% 4,893
Non-Hispanic Black Only 2.25% 119
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.59% 31
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.53% 28
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.82% 96
Hispanic Origin 2.21% 117

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Simonds has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 92.60% 93.81% -1.30%
Black 2.25% 1.84% 20.05%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.59% 0.67% -12.70%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.53% 0.73% -31.75%
Two or More Races 1.82% 1.34% 30.38%
Hispanic 2.21% 1.61% 31.41%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Simonds was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Simonds, please contact us.

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"Simonds last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/simonds-surname-popularity/.

"Simonds last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/simonds-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Simonds last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/simonds-surname-popularity/.

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