2000
#9,992
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,976
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Symons
A variant of Simeon, derived from the Hebrew name Shimon, meaning "he has heard" or "he who hears."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,417 Americans carry the last name Symons. That puts it at #10,284 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,309 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Symons 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 Symons with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 100,309
Census rank
#10,284
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,980 bearers of the surname Symons in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10284th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Symons, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Symons
The surname Symons has its origins in England, with records dating back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the personal name Simon, which was relatively common in medieval times and came from the Hebrew name Shimon, meaning "he has heard."
In its earliest form, the surname was often written as Simone or Simonis, reflecting the patronymic nature of many early surnames. As time passed, various spellings emerged, including Symon, Symonds, and eventually the modern Symons. The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Devon, Somerset, and Cornwall in southwestern England.
One of the earliest known references to the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mention a Willelmus filius Simonis (William, son of Simon). The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also include several individuals with the surname, such as Walter Simond and Reginald Symond.
In the 14th century, the Symons surname appeared in various records across England. For example, a John Symond was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, and a William Symon was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1380.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Symons (c. 1370-1450), a English knight and Member of Parliament for Somerset during the reign of Henry VI. Another was Ralph Symons (c. 1435-1490), a wealthy merchant and landowner in Devon.
Over the centuries, the Symons surname has been associated with several notable individuals. These include the English poet and critic John Addington Symonds (1840-1893), the British Army officer Sir William Penn Symons (1843-1899), who was killed in action during the Second Boer War, and the American author and playwright Ralph Symons (1904-1983).
Other prominent figures with the surname include the British architect Sir Ralph Symons (1924-2017), known for designing the Euston Tower in London, and the Australian musician and songwriter Nick Symons (1968-2009), who was a member of the band Crowded House.
While the Symons surname has evolved over time, its origins can be traced back to the personal name Simon and its early roots in medieval England, particularly in the southwestern counties. Through various historical records and notable bearers, the name has left an indelible mark on the annals of history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Symons
Among Census respondents with the surname Symons, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Symons 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 Symons surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 2,708
- Two or more races4.2% · 125
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 82
- Black or African American1.3% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Symons
Symons 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
#10,668
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,999
+23 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 676 places
2020
#10,284
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,980
-19 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 384 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,992 | 2,976 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,668 | 2,999 | 1.02 | +23 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 676 places |
| 2020 | #10,284 | 2,980 | 1.00 | -19 bearers (-0.6%) | Up 384 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 Symons 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 | #10,668 | #10,284 | 3.6% |
| Count | 2,999 | 2,980 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 1.00 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Symons bearers went from 2,999 to 2,980 (-0.6% change). The surname moved up 384 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,668 to #10,284.
FAQ
Symons surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Symons?
Name Census estimates that about 3,417 living Americans carry the surname Symons. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,309 residents.
How common is Symons?
Symons ranks #10,284 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 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 2,980 people with the surname Symons. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,417), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 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 Symons.
Has Symons become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Symons went from 2,999 recorded bearers to 2,980. That is a decrease of 19 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,668 to #10,284.
What does the Census say about the background of Symons?
Among Census respondents with the surname Symons, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Symons in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (2,708 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Symons appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Symons (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 Symons mean?
A variant of Simeon, derived from the Hebrew name Shimon, meaning "he has heard" or "he who hears." 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 Symons (1.00 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 common is the surname Symons?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Symons at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.