2000
#2,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,237
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.17
Uncommon Last name
Simpkins
A diminutive of the given name Simkin, derived from Simon, meaning "to hear" or "to listen."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,445 Americans carry the last name Simpkins. That puts it at #3,248 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,542 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Simpkins 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 Simpkins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,542
Census rank
#3,248
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,853 bearers of the surname Simpkins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3248th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Simpkins, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.7%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Simpkins
The surname Simpkins originated in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is a diminutive form of the name Simon, derived from the Old French name 'Simone'. The name was initially found in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Norfolk, and Essex.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Simpkins can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1195, where it is listed as 'Simekinus'. The Rotuli Hundredorum, a census-like record from the late 13th century, also lists several variations of the name, such as 'Symonkin' and 'Simkyn'.
The Simpkins surname is believed to have originated from a nickname for a person with a diminutive or small stature, as 'kin' was a common suffix used to denote a small or endearing version of a name. This practice was common during the Middle Ages, when surnames were often derived from physical characteristics, occupations, or places of origin.
In the 14th century, the Simpkins name appeared in various records, including the Poll Tax of Yorkshire in 1379, which lists 'Johannes Symkynson'. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 also mention 'Ricardus Symkyn'.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Simpkins was William Simpkins, born in 1510 in Oxfordshire, England. Another notable figure was John Simpkins, who was born in 1647 in Hertfordshire and served as a member of Parliament for Hertford in the late 17th century.
Other historical figures with the Simpkins surname include Robert Simpkins (1609-1676), a prominent merchant and landowner in Virginia, and Edward Simpkins (1691-1758), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the 18th century.
The surname Simpkins has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Simpkin's Green in Essex and Simpkin's Farm in Kent, suggesting that some individuals with this name may have derived their surnames from the places they lived or worked.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Simpkins
Among Census respondents with the surname Simpkins, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.7%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Simpkins 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 Simpkins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.7% · 6,806
- Black or African American29.5% · 3,203
- Two or more races4.2% · 455
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 287
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Simpkins
Simpkins 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
#3,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,585
+348 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 3.93
Rank movement Down 167 places
2020
#3,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,853
-732 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 3.63
Rank movement Down 141 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,940 | 11,237 | 4.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,107 | 11,585 | 3.93 | +348 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 167 places |
| 2020 | #3,248 | 10,853 | 3.63 | -732 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 141 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 Simpkins 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 | #3,107 | #3,248 | -4.5% |
| Count | 11,585 | 10,853 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.93 | 3.63 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Simpkins bearers went from 11,585 to 10,853 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 141 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,107 to #3,248.
FAQ
Simpkins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Simpkins?
Name Census estimates that about 12,445 living Americans carry the surname Simpkins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,542 residents.
How common is Simpkins?
Simpkins ranks #3,248 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,853 people with the surname Simpkins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,445), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Simpkins.
Has Simpkins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Simpkins went from 11,585 recorded bearers to 10,853. That is a decrease of 732 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,107 to #3,248.
What does the Census say about the background of Simpkins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Simpkins, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.7%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Simpkins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.7% (6,806 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Simpkins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.7%), Black (29.5%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Simpkins (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 Simpkins mean?
A diminutive of the given name Simkin, derived from Simon, meaning "to hear" or "to listen." 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 Simpkins (3.63 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 Americans have the surname Simpkins?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.