2000
#383
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 74,839
First available Census row
Per 100,000 27.74
Uncommon Last name
Simon
A surname derived from the Hebrew name Shim'on, meaning "he has heard" or "listening."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 90,248 Americans carry the last name Simon. That puts it at #403 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 26.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,798 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Simon 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 Simon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
90K
1 in 3,798
Census rank
#403
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
26.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
79K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 78,701 bearers of the surname Simon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 26.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 403rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Simon, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.9%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Hispanic (8.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Simon
The surname Simon is of Greek origin, derived from the personal name Simon, which itself derives from the Hebrew name Shimon, meaning "he has heard." The name was introduced into Europe through Biblical texts and the spread of Christianity.
The name Simon can be traced back to ancient Greek records and is mentioned in the New Testament as the name of one of Jesus' apostles, Simon Peter. It was later adopted as a common given name among early Christians, particularly in regions with strong Greek cultural influences.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Simon can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book contains entries for individuals with the name Simon, indicating its presence in England during the Norman period.
In the 12th century, a notable figure with the surname Simon was Simon de Montfort, a French nobleman and military leader born around 1165. He played a significant role in the Albigensian Crusade and later became the Earl of Leicester in England.
Another historical figure bearing the surname Simon was Simon Langton, an English Cardinal born around 1155. He was an influential figure in the Catholic Church and played a role in the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215.
In the 14th century, Simon Sudbury, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1375 to 1381, was a prominent figure during the Peasants' Revolt in England. He was born around 1316 and was eventually killed by rebels during the uprising.
During the Renaissance period, Simon Grynaeus, a German scholar and theologian born in 1493, made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek texts and the promotion of humanism.
In the 17th century, Simon Vouet, a French painter born in 1590, was a leading figure in the Baroque style and influenced the development of French painting through his works and teachings.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Simon, reflecting the long-standing presence and significance of this name across various regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Simon
Among Census respondents with the surname Simon, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.9%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Hispanic (8.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Simon 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 Simon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.9% · 48,722
- Black or African American22.3% · 17,587
- Hispanic or Latino8.2% · 6,482
- Two or more races3.5% · 2,771
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 2,619
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 520
Timeline
Historical Census data for Simon
Simon 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
#397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 80,460
+5,621 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 27.28
Rank movement Down 14 places
2020
#403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 78,701
-1,759 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 26.33
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #383 | 74,839 | 27.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #397 | 80,460 | 27.28 | +5,621 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 14 places |
| 2020 | #403 | 78,701 | 26.33 | -1,759 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 6 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 Simon 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 | #397 | #403 | -1.5% |
| Count | 80,460 | 78,701 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 27.28 | 26.33 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Simon bearers went from 80,460 to 78,701 (-2.2% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #397 to #403.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Simon
FAQ
Simon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Simon?
Name Census estimates that about 90,248 living Americans carry the surname Simon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,798 residents.
How common is Simon?
Simon ranks #403 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 26.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 26 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 78,701 people with the surname Simon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (90,248), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 26.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 26.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 26 of them to have the surname Simon.
Has Simon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Simon went from 80,460 recorded bearers to 78,701. That is a decrease of 1,759 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #397 to #403.
What does the Census say about the background of Simon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Simon, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.9%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Hispanic (8.2%). 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 Simon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.9% (48,722 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Simon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.9%), Black (22.3%), Hispanic (8.2%). 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 Simon (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 Simon mean?
A surname derived from the Hebrew name Shim'on, meaning "he has heard" or "listening." 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 Simon (26.33 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 surname Simon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.