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

Simonton, 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 Simonton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Simonton in America

Simonton is the 12101st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Simonton surname appeared 2,575 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Simonton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Simonton 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.

The history of the last name Simonton

The surname Simonton is believed to have originated in France, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It is derived from the Old French word "simon," which was a variant of the given name Simon. This name ultimately traces its roots back to the ancient Hebrew name Shimon, meaning "he has heard" or "he has listened."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Simonton surname can be found in the Registers of the French Protestant Church in London, where a Jacques Simonton is mentioned in 1643. It is possible that this individual or his ancestors fled religious persecution in France and sought refuge in England.

In the late 17th century, several Simonton families emigrated from France and settled in Ireland, particularly in the Ulster region. This likely occurred during the Huguenot diaspora, when many French Protestants were forced to leave their homeland due to religious intolerance and persecution.

Notable individuals with the Simonton surname include John Simonton (1752-1839), an American Presbyterian minister and educator who served as the third president of Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia. Another prominent figure was James Simonton (1817-1900), an American naval officer and diplomat who served as the United States Minister to the Dominican Republic from 1873 to 1877.

In the 19th century, William Simonton (1815-1900) was a Scottish-born American businessman and politician who served as the 11th Governor of Montana from 1901 to 1908. Another individual of note was Andrew Simonton (1737-1805), a Scottish-born merchant and political figure who served as the first Speaker of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.

Additionally, there are records of the Simonton name being associated with various place names in Scotland and Ireland, such as Simonton Farm in Ayrshire, Scotland, and the townland of Simonton in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Simonton

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

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 Simonton was:

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 Simonton has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Simonton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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