2000
#254
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107,244
First available Census row
Per 100,000 39.76
Common Last name
Sims
Derived from the medieval personal name "Simme," a short form of "Simon," meaning "to hear" or "to listen."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125,972 Americans carry the last name Sims. That puts it at #277 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 36.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,721 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sims 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 Sims with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
126K
1 in 2,721
Census rank
#277
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
36.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109,854 bearers of the surname Sims in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 36.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 277th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sims, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Black (38.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sims
The surname SIMS is of English origin and derives from the medieval given name Sim, a shortened form of Simon. Simon is derived from the Hebrew name Shim'on, meaning "he has heard" or "he who listens." The earliest known record of the surname SIMS dates back to the 13th century in the county of Norfolk, England.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, one of the earliest census-like records in England, the surname appears as Symme and Symmes, indicating its early variations in spelling. The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex in eastern England during the Middle Ages.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname SIMS. However, it does mention various landholders and tenants with the given name Simon, from which the surname likely originated.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the surname SIMS was John Sims, who was born in Norfolk around 1350. Another notable figure was Thomas Sims, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in Ipswich, Suffolk, in the late 15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname SIMS spread across England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire in the West Midlands region. One notable bearer of the name was John Sims (1582-1654), a renowned English navigator and explorer who sailed to the East Indies and served as a commander for the East India Company.
In the 18th century, the surname SIMS gained prominence in the field of horticulture with the botanist John Sims (1749-1831), who established the botanical magazine "Curtis's Botanical Magazine" and served as the curator of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.
Another notable figure was William Sims (1753-1834), an English portrait painter and engraver known for his portraiture of notable figures of the Georgian era, including King George III and members of the British royal family.
In the 19th century, the surname SIMS continued to be associated with various fields, including literature and politics. George Robert Sims (1847-1922) was a renowned English writer and playwright, best known for his novels and plays depicting the lives of working-class Londoners.
Additionally, Walter Sims (1860-1924) was a prominent British politician and member of the House of Commons, representing the constituency of St. Pancras South from 1906 to 1918.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sims
Among Census respondents with the surname Sims, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Black (38.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sims 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 Sims surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.9% · 56,983
- Black or African American38.8% · 42,619
- Two or more races5.0% · 5,513
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 3,606
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 588
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 545
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sims
Sims 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
#270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113,374
+6,130 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 38.43
Rank movement Down 16 places
2020
#277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109,854
-3,520 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 36.75
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #254 | 107,244 | 39.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #270 | 113,374 | 38.43 | +6,130 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 16 places |
| 2020 | #277 | 109,854 | 36.75 | -3,520 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 7 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 Sims 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 | #270 | #277 | -2.6% |
| Count | 113,374 | 109,854 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 38.43 | 36.75 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sims bearers went from 113,374 to 109,854 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #270 to #277.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sims
FAQ
Sims surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sims?
Name Census estimates that about 125,972 living Americans carry the surname Sims. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,721 residents.
How common is Sims?
Sims ranks #277 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 36.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 37 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109,854 people with the surname Sims. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125,972), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 36.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 36.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 37 of them to have the surname Sims.
Has Sims become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sims went from 113,374 recorded bearers to 109,854. That is a decrease of 3,520 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #270 to #277.
What does the Census say about the background of Sims?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sims, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Black (38.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Sims in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.9% (56,983 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sims appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.9%), Black (38.8%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Sims (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 Sims mean?
Derived from the medieval personal name "Simme," a short form of "Simon," meaning "to hear" or "to listen." 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 Sims (36.75 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 Sims?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.