2000
#145
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 158,241
First available Census row
Per 100,000 58.66
Common Last name
Simpson
Derived from "son of Sim," Sim being a medieval form of Simon, meaning "he has heard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 179,000 Americans carry the last name Simpson. That puts it at #167 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 52.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,915 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Simpson 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 Simpson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
179K
1 in 1,915
Census rank
#167
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
52.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
156K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 156,097 bearers of the surname Simpson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 52.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 167th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Simpson, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Simpson
The surname Simpson is of English origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the old English name "Simund", which means "son of Simond". This name was later anglicized to become Simon or Simson.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Simpson can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195, where a Richard Simondesun is mentioned. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a John Simundesone is listed in Yorkshire.
During the Middle Ages, the name Simpson began to appear in various records and manuscripts across England. In the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1279, a William Symundesone is recorded. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327 mention a John Simundesone.
The name Simpson is also linked to several place names in England, such as Simpson in Buckinghamshire and Simpson's Fold in Lancashire. These place names likely originated from individuals with the surname Simpson who either lived in or owned land in these areas.
Some notable individuals with the surname Simpson throughout history include:
1. Thomas Simpson (1710-1761), an English mathematician and inventor of the Simpson's Rule for numerical integration.
2. Sir James Young Simpson (1811-1870), a Scottish obstetrician and pioneer in the use of chloroform as an anesthetic during childbirth.
3. Wallis Simpson (1896-1986), the American divorcée whose relationship with King Edward VIII led to his abdication in 1936.
4. O.J. Simpson (born 1947), the American former football player and actor, who was famously acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman in 1995.
5. Jessica Simpson (born 1980), the American singer, actress, and fashion designer.
While the name Simpson can be found across various regions of England, it was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Northumberland during the medieval and early modern periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Simpson
Among Census respondents with the surname Simpson, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Simpson 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 Simpson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.0% · 106,084
- Black or African American22.6% · 35,247
- Two or more races4.6% · 7,191
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 5,411
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1,112
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,052
Timeline
Historical Census data for Simpson
Simpson 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
#158
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 163,181
+4,940 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 55.32
Rank movement Down 13 places
2020
#167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 156,097
-7,084 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 52.22
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #145 | 158,241 | 58.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158 | 163,181 | 55.32 | +4,940 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 13 places |
| 2020 | #167 | 156,097 | 52.22 | -7,084 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 9 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 Simpson 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 | #158 | #167 | -5.7% |
| Count | 163,181 | 156,097 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 55.32 | 52.22 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Simpson bearers went from 163,181 to 156,097 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #158 to #167.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Simpson
FAQ
Simpson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Simpson?
Name Census estimates that about 179,000 living Americans carry the surname Simpson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,915 residents.
How common is Simpson?
Simpson ranks #167 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 52.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 52 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 156,097 people with the surname Simpson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (179,000), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 52.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 52.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 52 of them to have the surname Simpson.
Has Simpson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Simpson went from 163,181 recorded bearers to 156,097. That is a decrease of 7,084 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #158 to #167.
What does the Census say about the background of Simpson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Simpson, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Simpson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.0% (106,084 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Simpson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.0%), Black (22.6%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Simpson (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 Simpson mean?
Derived from "son of Sim," Sim being a medieval form of Simon, 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 Simpson (52.22 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 are called Simpson?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Simpson at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.