2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Symmons
An English surname derived from the Germanic personal name Simon.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Symmons. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Symmons 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 Symmons with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Symmons in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Symmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Symmons
The surname Symmons is an English name with origins dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word "Sigemunde", which means "victory protector". This name was later anglicized to Symonds and Symmons.
The earliest recorded instances of the Symmons surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared in various spellings, such as Sigemunde, Simond, and Simondes, indicating its evolution over time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Symmons name was William Symonds, who was born in Gloucestershire, England, around 1350. He was a landowner and prominent member of the local community.
In the 15th century, the Symmons family was well-established in Somerset, England. John Symmons, born in 1435, was a respected merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol.
During the Tudor era, the Symmons name gained further prominence. Sir Thomas Symmons (1495-1560) was a prominent courtier and diplomat who served under Henry VIII and Edward VI. He was knighted for his services to the Crown.
Another notable figure was Reverend Jedediah Symmons (1628-1708), an English clergyman and author who wrote several theological works. He was born in Wiltshire and served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Ipswich.
In the 18th century, John Symmons (1730-1807) was a renowned mathematician and astronomer. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
The Symmons name also has connections to various place names in England, such as Symondsbury in Dorset, which was derived from the Old English "Sigemundes burh", meaning "Sigemund's fortified place".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Symmons
Among Census respondents with the surname Symmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Symmons 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 Symmons surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 98
- Black or African American6.2% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Symmons
Symmons appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+13 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,754 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 13,754 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 Symmons 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 | #160,975 | #147,221 | 8.5% |
| Count | 100 | 113 | 13.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 26.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Symmons bearers went from 100 to 113 (+13.0% change). The surname moved up 13,754 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #147,221.
FAQ
Symmons surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Symmons?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Symmons. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Symmons?
Symmons ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Symmons. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Symmons.
Has Symmons become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Symmons went from 100 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 13 (+13.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Symmons?
Among Census respondents with the surname Symmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) 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 Symmons in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Symmons appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Black (6.2%), 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 Symmons (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 Symmons mean?
An English surname derived from the Germanic personal name Simon. 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 Symmons (0.04 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 Symmons?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.