2000
#3,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,675
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.22
Rare Last name
Simonson
A patronymic surname meaning "son of Simon," derived from the personal name Simon, of Hebrew origin meaning "he has heard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,941 Americans carry the last name Simonson. That puts it at #3,967 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,479 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Simonson 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 Simonson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.9K
1 in 34,479
Census rank
#3,967
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,669 bearers of the surname Simonson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3967th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Simonson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Simonson
The surname Simonson has its origins in Scandinavia, primarily in Sweden and Norway. It is derived from the Old Norse personal name Sǿmundr, which is a compound name formed from the elements sǿ, meaning "lake" or "sea," and mundr, meaning "protection" or "protector." The name was likely given to individuals who lived near or were associated with a body of water, reflecting their occupation or location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Simonson can be traced back to the 13th century, appearing in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian historical documents and records. In these documents, the name is sometimes spelled as Symonsson or Symundsson, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation that were common during that time.
The Simonson surname has a rich history in Sweden and Norway, where it was borne by notable individuals throughout the centuries. One such individual was Jöns Simonsson, a Swedish clergyman and reformer who lived in the 16th century (c. 1510-1588). He played a significant role in the Swedish Reformation and was a supporter of the Lutheran faith.
Another notable bearer of the Simonson name was Peder Simonsson, a Norwegian clergyman and author who lived in the 17th century (c. 1630-1703). He wrote several books on theology and was known for his contributions to the Lutheran Church in Norway.
In the 18th century, Hans Simonson (1732-1807) was a Swedish merchant and shipowner who played a prominent role in the Swedish East India Company. His business ventures and trade activities contributed to the economic growth of Sweden during that period.
As the Simonson surname spread across Scandinavia and beyond, it has been associated with various place names and localities. For example, in Denmark, the name Simonsen is sometimes used as a variant form of Simonson, reflecting the local pronunciation and spelling conventions.
It is worth noting that the Simonson surname has also been found in other parts of Europe, such as Germany and the Netherlands, where it may have originated from different roots or been adopted by individuals migrating from Scandinavia. However, the primary origin of the name can be traced back to its Old Norse roots in Sweden and Norway.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Simonson
Among Census respondents with the surname Simonson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Simonson 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 Simonson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 7,867
- Two or more races3.4% · 291
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 235
- Black or African American1.5% · 134
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 65
Timeline
Historical Census data for Simonson
Simonson 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
#3,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,968
+293 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 3.04
Rank movement Down 212 places
2020
#3,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,669
-299 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 2.90
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,753 | 8,675 | 3.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,965 | 8,968 | 3.04 | +293 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 212 places |
| 2020 | #3,967 | 8,669 | 2.90 | -299 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 2 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 Simonson 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 | #3,965 | #3,967 | -0.1% |
| Count | 8,968 | 8,669 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.04 | 2.90 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Simonson bearers went from 8,968 to 8,669 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,965 to #3,967.
FAQ
Simonson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Simonson?
Name Census estimates that about 9,941 living Americans carry the surname Simonson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,479 residents.
How common is Simonson?
Simonson ranks #3,967 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,669 people with the surname Simonson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,941), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Simonson.
Has Simonson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Simonson went from 8,968 recorded bearers to 8,669. That is a decrease of 299 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,965 to #3,967.
What does the Census say about the background of Simonson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Simonson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Simonson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (7,867 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Simonson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Simonson (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 Simonson mean?
A patronymic surname meaning "son of Simon," derived from the personal name Simon, of Hebrew origin 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 Simonson (2.90 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 Simonson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.