2000
#20,960
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,169
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.43
Rare Last name
Symes
An English surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning one from Sion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,349 Americans carry the last name Symes. That puts it at #22,436 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 254,080 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Symes 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 Symes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.3K
1 in 254,080
Census rank
#22,436
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,176 bearers of the surname Symes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22436th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Symes, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Symes
The surname SYMES is an English name that originated in the late 13th century. It is derived from the given name Simon, which comes from the Hebrew name Shim'on, meaning "he has heard" or "he has listened". The surname was likely first adopted as a patronymic, meaning "son of Simon".
SYMES was initially found in various areas of England, particularly in the counties of Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. Early records show variations in the spelling, including Symes, Simes, Sims, and Symmes. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1327, which mentions a John Symes.
The name appears in several historical documents, such as the Pipe Rolls of Somerset from 1273, which lists a Richard Symes. Additionally, the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1437 mentions a Thomas Symes. These records suggest that the SYMES family had a presence across various regions of England during the Middle Ages.
Notable individuals with the surname SYMES include Sir John Symes (c. 1450-1505), a Member of Parliament for Somerset during the reign of Henry VII. Another prominent figure was Richard Symes (1540-1609), an English clergyman who served as the Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
In the 17th century, a SYMES family settled in Connecticut, United States. One member, Reverend Zechariah Symes (1640-1708), was a Puritan minister and co-founder of the town of Bradford, Massachusetts. His descendants continued to use the surname in North America.
Other notable figures include Benjamin Symes (1698-1786), an English Quaker and philanthropist, and Michael Symes (1753-1809), a British army officer and diplomat who served as an envoy to the Kingdom of Ava (now Myanmar).
The SYMES name has persisted throughout history, with individuals bearing this surname making contributions in various fields, including politics, religion, and exploration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Symes
Among Census respondents with the surname Symes, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Symes 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 Symes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 998
- Black or African American8.1% · 95
- Two or more races3.7% · 44
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Symes
Symes 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
#21,895
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,186
+17 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.40
Rank movement Down 935 places
2020
#22,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,176
-10 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Down 541 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,960 | 1,169 | 0.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,895 | 1,186 | 0.40 | +17 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 935 places |
| 2020 | #22,436 | 1,176 | 0.39 | -10 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 541 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 Symes 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 | #21,895 | #22,436 | -2.5% |
| Count | 1,186 | 1,176 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.40 | 0.39 | -1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Symes bearers went from 1,186 to 1,176 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 541 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,895 to #22,436.
FAQ
Symes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Symes?
Name Census estimates that about 1,349 living Americans carry the surname Symes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 254,080 residents.
How common is Symes?
Symes ranks #22,436 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.39 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 1,176 people with the surname Symes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,349), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.39 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 Symes.
Has Symes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Symes went from 1,186 recorded bearers to 1,176. That is a decrease of 10 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #21,895 to #22,436.
What does the Census say about the background of Symes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Symes, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Symes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (998 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Symes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.9%), Black (8.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Symes (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 Symes mean?
An English surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning one from Sion. 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 Symes (0.39 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 Symes?
Want to know how many people have the surname Symes? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.