2000
#10,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,670
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Symonds
Derived from the given name Simon, meaning "one who hears" or "to be heard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,066 Americans carry the last name Symonds. That puts it at #11,290 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,792 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Symonds 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 Symonds with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 111,792
Census rank
#11,290
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,674 bearers of the surname Symonds in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11290th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Symonds, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Symonds
The surname Symonds is of English origin, derived from the medieval personal name Simond, which is an Old French variant of the name Simon. The name Simon itself is derived from the Hebrew name Shim'on, meaning "he has heard."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Symonds date back to the late 12th century in various regions of England, including Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Somerset. It is believed that the name was initially used as a patronymic, referring to the son of someone named Simon or Simond.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Simon Symonds, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, providing valuable insights into the names and locations of individuals during the medieval period.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Symundes, Symondes, and Simondes, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, a census-like survey of landholders in England, recorded several individuals with the surname, including John Symond in Oxfordshire and Walter Symound in Huntingdonshire.
One notable bearer of the surname was Sir Ralph Symonds (1435-1512), who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reigns of Edward IV and Henry VII. He was also appointed as a Justice of the Peace and held significant landholdings in the county.
Another prominent figure was Richard Symonds (1617-1692), an English antiquarian and writer who is best known for his detailed accounts of the English Civil War. His diaries and manuscripts provide invaluable insights into the events and personalities of the time.
In the literary world, John Addington Symonds (1840-1893) was a renowned English poet, literary critic, and biographer. He is particularly known for his works on the Italian Renaissance, including his influential biography of Michelangelo.
The Symonds family also had connections to the British colonies in North America. Thomas Symonds (1609-1678) was one of the early settlers in Ipswich, Massachusetts, arriving in 1637. He later served as a deputy to the General Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Overall, the surname Symonds has a rich history spanning centuries, with its origins rooted in the medieval English period. It has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including politicians, writers, and colonists, leaving an indelible mark on the historical records of England and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Symonds
Among Census respondents with the surname Symonds, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Symonds 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 Symonds surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 2,317
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 128
- Two or more races3.9% · 103
- Black or African American3.0% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Symonds
Symonds 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
#11,415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,760
+90 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 478 places
2020
#11,290
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,674
-86 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Up 125 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,937 | 2,670 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,415 | 2,760 | 0.94 | +90 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 478 places |
| 2020 | #11,290 | 2,674 | 0.89 | -86 bearers (-3.1%) | Up 125 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 Symonds 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 | #11,415 | #11,290 | 1.1% |
| Count | 2,760 | 2,674 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.89 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Symonds bearers went from 2,760 to 2,674 (-3.1% change). The surname moved up 125 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,415 to #11,290.
FAQ
Symonds surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Symonds?
Name Census estimates that about 3,066 living Americans carry the surname Symonds. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,792 residents.
How common is Symonds?
Symonds ranks #11,290 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,674 people with the surname Symonds. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,066), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Symonds.
Has Symonds become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Symonds went from 2,760 recorded bearers to 2,674. That is a decrease of 86 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,415 to #11,290.
What does the Census say about the background of Symonds?
Among Census respondents with the surname Symonds, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Symonds in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (2,317 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Symonds appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Symonds (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 Symonds mean?
Derived from the given name Simon, meaning "one who hears" or "to be 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 Symonds (0.89 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 last name Symonds?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Symonds at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.