Simpson Surname

1,370th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 395,809 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Jamaica

Simpson Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Simon,' from the nick. Sim, whence Simpson, with intrusive 'p', as in Thompson, Hampson, &c. Sims or Simms is the genitive of Sim; compare William and Williams.

Robertus Symmes, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Read More About This Surname

Simpson Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States203,5451:1,781149
England76,0781:73265
Australia31,6311:85375
Canada25,5761:1,441120
Scotland16,0341:33438
Jamaica11,9161:24143
South Africa6,6411:8,1581,042
New Zealand5,7511:78729
Northern Ireland3,2531:56778
Wales1,6641:1,860181
Fiji1,3201:67872
Ireland1,0991:4,285724
France7671:86,60112,355
Thailand7401:95,45713,519
Liberia5851:7,536882
Guyana5181:1,471254
Spain5041:92,7627,742
Saudi Arabia4771:64,6879,689
Panama4691:8,342819
Germany4111:195,87722,591
Barbados3411:843209
Brazil3301:648,71023,986
Costa Rica2941:16,259642
Cuba2901:39,7341,792
Chile2491:70,7492,907
Nigeria2251:787,30135,295
Trinidad and Tobago2081:6,558991
India2061:3,723,618103,606
Dominican Republic2001:52,1652,646
Mexico1731:717,49310,964
Isle of Man1691:50852
Zimbabwe1691:91,35113,091
Samoa1621:1,196373
Papua New Guinea1551:52,6056,626
Argentina1541:277,55522,327
Netherlands1371:123,26419,295
Belize1361:2,614549
Japan1351:946,99519,569
Ghana1271:212,76111,389
Portugal1231:84,7014,225
Philippines1211:836,68078,497
Switzerland1171:70,1968,406
Colombia1131:422,7796,531
Denmark1121:50,3995,183
Sweden1111:88,7106,513
Italy911:672,05258,782
Bahamas851:4,609475
Antigua and Barbuda821:1,209212
Kenya821:563,17026,996
Norway811:63,4859,023
Malta781:5,516371
Malaysia771:383,04220,138
Mauritius761:17,0193,609
Jersey751:1,323186
Guernsey731:883146
Belgium711:161,92522,307
Ecuador651:244,7058,424
Bahrain591:22,8584,582
Israel561:152,81515,997
Grenada541:2,010340
Greece481:230,82935,705
United Arab Emirates471:194,94213,936
China451:30,384,9241,604
Hong Kong451:163,0112,950
Nicaragua381:158,4502,273
Cayman Islands371:1,727223
Bermuda361:1,813302
United States Virgin Islands351:3,154532
Suriname321:17,2694,028
Estonia311:42,6398,109
Iraq311:1,129,73113,630
Czechia291:366,67143,532
Kuwait291:131,05814,967
Austria281:304,12334,120
Cyprus281:31,6033,400
Venezuela281:1,078,71715,964
Peru271:1,177,19020,369
Cook Islands251:727118
Zambia251:633,99725,256
Guam211:7,6251,143
Indonesia201:6,612,460283,723
Micronesia181:5,902674
Botswana171:128,64318,229
Honduras171:518,6143,437
Gibraltar161:2,122483
Uganda161:2,439,95572,451
South Korea151:3,416,017641
Turks and Caicos Islands151:2,289250
Slovakia141:381,17550,143
Finland131:422,82327,659
Singapore131:423,66918,211
Oman121:307,3314,704
Poland121:3,167,396120,990
Afghanistan111:2,923,01717,932
Anguilla111:1,221122
Vietnam111:8,422,3692,636
Lebanon101:563,70813,499
Aruba91:11,4971,511
Morocco91:3,830,67854,497
Pakistan91:19,849,32172,658
Saint Lucia91:19,8651,494
Sri Lanka91:2,312,0629,186
Kazakhstan81:2,210,31295,036
Slovenia81:310,95916,987
Greenland71:8,054710
Montserrat71:707123
Puerto Rico71:507,1633,435
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines71:16,094893
Solomon Islands71:82,86115,196
Azerbaijan61:1,608,18720,863
Egypt61:15,322,62662,302
Haiti61:1,780,65114,597
Qatar61:393,00055,922
Saint Kitts and Nevis61:9,200695
Turkey61:12,970,237144,247
British Virgin Islands51:6,319600
Brunei51:83,7461,811
Monaco51:7,4131,114
Sudan51:7,502,0398,188
Taiwan51:4,688,94927,695
Algeria41:9,657,88864,782
Curaçao41:39,312638
French Polynesia41:70,2014,444
Saint Barthelemy41:2,40444
Seychelles41:23,0981,012
Tanzania41:13,235,40384,310
Tunisia41:152,65617,743
Albania31:971,35222,477
Croatia31:1,409,53570,997
DR Congo31:24,626,523260,455
Falkland Islands31:1,044221
Luxembourg31:193,5147,046
Montenegro31:213,1886,121
Norfolk Island31:765177
Serbia31:2,381,64930,913
Armenia21:1,465,09016,492
Benin21:5,167,80184,334
Bolivia21:5,308,21712,400
Cambodia21:7,743,57311,959
Congo21:2,494,54828,763
Guatemala21:8,041,3349,698
Iceland21:190,0456,825
Iran21:38,391,262236,033
Malawi21:8,559,55434,093
Namibia21:1,204,70016,113
Nepal21:14,240,47817,812
Uruguay21:1,715,87935,955
Andorra11:83,8382,381
Bhutan11:616,0391,715
Bosnia and Herzegovina11:3,536,40219,532
Bulgaria11:6,978,90586,260
Cameroon11:20,769,068227,406
Cape Verde11:529,6426,792
Chad11:13,592,19913,092
Dominica11:75,891912
El Salvador11:6,343,8888,415
Ethiopia11:97,546,26229,669
Gabon11:1,889,1946,814
Georgia11:3,745,54547,852
Hungary11:9,816,27773,288
Ivory Coast11:23,071,23276,679
Jordan11:8,842,43726,010
Latvia11:2,050,04660,295
Libya11:6,243,9746,186
Macau11:601,6301,582
North Macedonia11:2,101,47231,546
Paraguay11:7,236,74616,511
Romania11:20,077,87089,414
Russia11:144,123,056881,408
Rwanda11:11,364,9785,947
São Tomé and Príncipe11:177,4233,686
South Sudan11:11,415,0763,182
Swaziland11:1,298,1991,718
Syria11:19,301,02222,457
Tonga11:107,313791
Yemen11:26,425,29455,147
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland3,0261:1,464277
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England38,8431:62857
Scotland13,3631:28039
Wales2891:5,427361
Isle of Man511:1,064163
Jersey151:3,459578
Guernsey31:10,8851,562
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States38,1431:1,317127

Simpson (4,894) may also be a first name.

Simpson Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Simon,' from the nick. Sim, whence Simpson, with intrusive 'p', as in Thompson, Hampson, &c. Sims or Simms is the genitive of Sim; compare William and Williams.

Robertus Symmes, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Johannes Symson, 1379: ibid.

Thomas Symme, 1379: ibid.

Johannes Symmeson, 1379: ibid.

Johannes Symnson, 1379: ibid.

Christopher Sims, Berkshire, 1504: Register of the University of Oxford.

Ellen Simms, of Warrington, 1593: Wills at Chester.

1800. Married — Louis Baumes and Margaret Sim: St. George, Hanover Square.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

Same as Simson, which see, with intrusive p.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(with the common post -m intrus. -p) for Simson, q.v.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

Son of Simon in Old English.

South African Surnames (1965) by Eric Rosenthal

(English) The son of Sim, pet form of Simon or Simeon (gracious hearing); one who came from Simpson (Sigewine’s homestead), in Buckinghamshire.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

1. A Buckinghamshire parish. 2. The son of Simon. The Simpsons of Knaresborongh deduce their lineage from the time of Edward the Confessor, and from Archil, a Saxon thane, living in that reign, and in the reign of the Conqueror. Among his other possessions was the manor of Clint in Yorkshire, where his posterity resided in the XIII. and XIV. centuries, writing themselves De Clynt. The name of Simpson (or Simon's son) was adopted from Symon, son of William de Clynt, who was living in the year 1300. See B.L.G. However contrary to our modern notions of good taste, there are several other instances of families having disused a territorial surname in favour of a patronymical one.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

From McSim-een, Little Simon's Son'.

'Dermot MacSimon slain, ' a.d. 1366. Fraser, Lord Lovat, who was born in 1666, was called MacShimidh Baldu, 'the black-spotted son of Simon', from a black spot on his upper lip.

Manx Names (1890) by Arthur William Moore

From the Old Norse, Simbi, diminutive of Sig­mundr; from the German, Simba, Simm; from the Danish, Simeson; A. Simson; a personal name.

British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

Simpson. —Characteristic of the northern half of England. Yorkshire is its great home, it being very numerous in the North and East Ridings. In the surrounding counties of Durham, Lancashire, Cheshire, Stafford, and Derby, it is also well represented. Though it has established itself in some measure in Suffolk and Essex, it is with these exceptions eminently a name of the northern counties and northern midlands. It is represented over a large part of Scotland, but is rare in the north.

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

User-submitted Reference

(English, Scottish) This surname means 'son of Simon'.

Simm is a variant of the surname Simpson.

- dinn315

(Scottish, English) This surname means 'son of Simon'. Simpkinson is a variant of the surname Simpson.

- dinn315

Simpson Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Simpson Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Simpson (Arabic: سمبسن, Bengali: সিমপসন, Georgian: სიმპსონ, Hindi: सिमसन, Marathi: सीमसेन) occurs in The United States more than any other country or territory. It can also appear as:. For other potential spellings of this last name click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Simpson? popularity and diffusion

The surname is the 1,370th most widely held surname on a global scale It is held by approximately 1 in 18,412 people. The surname occurs predominantly in The Americas, where 62 percent of Simpson reside; 58 percent reside in North America and 58 percent reside in Anglo-North America. Simpson is also the 97,492nd most common first name internationally, held by 4,894 people.

This last name is most commonly held in The United States, where it is borne by 203,545 people, or 1 in 1,781. In The United States it is primarily concentrated in: Texas, where 9 percent reside, California, where 8 percent reside and Florida, where 5 percent reside. Beside The United States this surname exists in 175 countries. It also occurs in England, where 19 percent reside and Australia, where 8 percent reside.

Simpson Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The frequency of Simpson has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people bearing the Simpson surname expanded 534 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it expanded 196 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it expanded 120 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it expanded 576 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it contracted 64 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Simpson Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those carrying the Simpson last name is chiefly Presbyterian (47%) in Ireland, Orthodox (60%) in Russia, Evangelical (40%) in Lebanon and Orthodox (78%) in Ukraine.

In The United States those holding the Simpson last name are 12.49% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than the national average, with 59.26% being registered with the political party.

The amount Simpson earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 39.73% more than the national average, earning 483,585 kr per year; in Peru they earn 745.11% more than the national average, earning S/. 163,825 per year; in South Africa they earn 72.07% more than the national average, earning R 408,900 per year; in Colombia they earn 15.5% less than the national average, earning $19,184,100 COP per year; in United States they earn 3.68% less than the national average, earning $41,561 USD per year and in Canada they earn 5.21% more than the national average, earning $52,272 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

Simpson Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Simpson in the Georgian language
სიმპსონsimpson-
Simpson in the Hindi language
सिमसनsimasana-
Simpson in the Marathi language
सीमसेनsimasena-
Simpson in the Bengali language
সিমপসনsimapasana50
সিম্পসনsimpasana50
Simpson in the Arabic language
سمبسنsmbsn-

Search for Another Surname

Simpson Reference & Research

Simpson DNA Website - A web page dedicated to the genetic research of those who bear the surname and its variants.

Simpson FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

The name statistics are still in development, sign up for information on more maps and data

By signing up to the mailing list you will only receive emails specifically about name reference on Forebears and your information will not be distributed to 3rd parties.

Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Simpson
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis