2000
#6,542
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,779
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.77
Rare Last name
Simonds
Derived from the given name Simon, meaning "to be heard" or "reputation."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,398 Americans carry the last name Simonds. That puts it at #6,877 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,497 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Simonds 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 Simonds with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,497
Census rank
#6,877
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,707 bearers of the surname Simonds in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6877th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Simonds, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Simonds
Among Census respondents with the surname Simonds, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Simonds 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 Simonds surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 4,188
- Two or more races4.0% · 187
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 165
- Black or African American2.0% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Simonds
Simonds 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
#6,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,284
+505 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Up 113 places
2020
#6,877
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,707
-577 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 448 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,542 | 4,779 | 1.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,429 | 5,284 | 1.79 | +505 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 113 places |
| 2020 | #6,877 | 4,707 | 1.57 | -577 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 448 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 Simonds 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 | #6,429 | #6,877 | -7.0% |
| Count | 5,284 | 4,707 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.79 | 1.57 | -12.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Simonds bearers went from 5,284 to 4,707 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 448 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,429 to #6,877.
FAQ
Simonds surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Simonds?
Name Census estimates that about 5,398 living Americans carry the surname Simonds. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,497 residents.
How common is Simonds?
Simonds ranks #6,877 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.57 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 4,707 people with the surname Simonds. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,398), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.57 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 Simonds.
Has Simonds become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Simonds went from 5,284 recorded bearers to 4,707. That is a decrease of 577 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,429 to #6,877.
What does the Census say about the background of Simonds?
Among Census respondents with the surname Simonds, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Simonds in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (4,188 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Simonds appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Simonds (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 Simonds mean?
Derived from the given name Simon, meaning "to be heard" or "reputation." 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 Simonds (1.57 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 Simonds?
Want to know how many people are called Simonds? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.