NameCensus.

UK surname

Simmonds

Derived from the medieval personal name Simon, meaning "to hear" or "to listen," often referring to an obedient person.

In the 1881 census there were 8,010 people recorded with the Simmonds surname, ranking it #520 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 11,222, ranked #574, down from #520 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lambeth and Portsmouth, Portsea. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Isle of Wight, Cornwall and Cherwell.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Simmonds is 11,953 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 40.1%.

1881 census count

8,010

Ranked #520

Modern count

11,222

2016, ranked #574

Peak year

1999

11,953 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Simmonds had 8,010 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #520 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 11,222 in 2016, ranked #574.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 11,174 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Simmonds surname distribution map

The map shows where the Simmonds surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Simmonds surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Simmonds over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 4,434 #637
1861 historical 4,386 #647
1881 historical 8,010 #520
1891 historical 8,441 #522
1901 historical 10,704 #487
1911 historical 11,174 #437
1997 modern 11,299 #539
1998 modern 11,919 #534
1999 modern 11,953 #534
2000 modern 11,752 #542
2001 modern 11,497 #540
2002 modern 11,655 #544
2003 modern 11,428 #543
2004 modern 11,405 #545
2005 modern 11,234 #548
2006 modern 11,067 #554
2007 modern 11,176 #555
2008 modern 11,257 #555
2009 modern 11,515 #560
2010 modern 11,672 #565
2011 modern 11,513 #565
2012 modern 11,315 #564
2013 modern 11,485 #564
2014 modern 11,537 #569
2015 modern 11,302 #571
2016 modern 11,222 #574

Geography

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Where Simmonds' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lambeth, Portsmouth, Portsea and Brighton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Isle of Wight, Cornwall, Cherwell, Monmouthshire and South Oxfordshire. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Lambeth London (South Districts)
4 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
5 Brighton Sussex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Isle of Wight 011 Isle of Wight
2 Cornwall 019 Cornwall
3 Cherwell 016 Cherwell
4 Monmouthshire 010 Monmouthshire
5 South Oxfordshire 002 South Oxfordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Simmonds

These lists show first names that appear often with the Simmonds surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Simmonds

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Simmonds, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Simmonds surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Simmonds household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Simmonds is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Simmonds is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Simmonds falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Simmonds is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Simmonds, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Simmonds

The surname Simmonds has its origins in England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English name "Sigemund" or "Sigmund", which is a compound of the elements "sige" (meaning victory) and "mund" (meaning protection or hand).

The earliest recorded instances of the Simmonds surname can be found in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a Roger Symund. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a Thomas Symound is listed.

In the 14th century, the surname was often spelled as "Symond" or "Symound", reflecting the evolution of the name's pronunciation over time. The spelling "Simmonds" became more common in the 16th and 17th centuries, as standardized spelling practices emerged.

One notable historical figure who bore the Simmonds surname was Sir John Simmonds (1515-1587), an English politician and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He served as Sheriff of London and was knighted in 1576.

Another prominent individual was Samuel Simmonds (c. 1675-1749), an English dissenting minister and author. He was a prolific writer and published works on various religious and philosophical topics.

In the 19th century, James Simmonds (1837-1897) was a British naturalist and author who specialized in the study of marine biology. He published several books on sea creatures and marine life.

Robert Simmonds (1836-1905) was a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the former Westminster Fire Station and the Church of St. Mary in Twickenham.

Another notable bearer of the Simmonds surname was Sir John St. Vincent Simmonds (1846-1922), a British naval officer and admiral. He served in the Royal Navy during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was knighted for his service.

The Simmonds surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Simmondsbury in Gloucestershire and Simmonds Hill in Buckinghamshire, further reinforcing its deep roots in the country's history and geography.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Simmonds families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Simmonds surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 1,283 Simmonds' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.64x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 1,283 1.64x
Surrey 1,087 2.86x
Kent 653 2.45x
Sussex 618 4.70x
Hampshire 493 3.08x
Berkshire 386 6.59x
Staffordshire 312 1.18x
Gloucestershire 306 2.00x
Warwickshire 293 1.49x
Oxfordshire 230 4.77x
Hertfordshire 199 3.70x
Essex 191 1.24x
Worcestershire 180 1.77x
Lancashire 179 0.19x
Yorkshire 163 0.21x
Shropshire 153 2.27x
Monmouthshire 147 2.61x
Wiltshire 133 1.93x
Buckinghamshire 126 2.67x
Dorset 118 2.30x
Somerset 87 0.69x
Norfolk 85 0.71x
Suffolk 71 0.75x
Glamorgan 60 0.44x
Nottinghamshire 48 0.46x
Leicestershire 47 0.54x
Lincolnshire 45 0.36x
Herefordshire 38 1.19x
Derbyshire 32 0.26x
Devon 25 0.15x
Northamptonshire 22 0.30x
Northumberland 22 0.19x
Cheshire 20 0.12x
Bedfordshire 19 0.47x
Huntingdonshire 16 1.03x
Cambridgeshire 15 0.30x
Durham 12 0.05x
Royal Navy 12 1.29x
Brecknockshire 10 0.64x
Midlothian 9 0.09x
Rutland 9 1.57x
Cardiganshire 8 0.42x
Montgomeryshire 8 0.45x
Flintshire 5 0.24x
Channel Islands 4 0.17x
Caernarfonshire 3 0.10x
Carmarthenshire 3 0.09x
Cornwall 3 0.03x
Inverness-shire 2 0.09x
Lanarkshire 2 0.01x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.08x
Westmorland 2 0.12x
Ayrshire 1 0.02x
Denbighshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 165 Simmonds' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.43x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 165 2.43x
Brighton 132 4.97x
Islington London 130 1.72x
Maidstone 122 15.39x
Portsea 105 3.35x
St Pancras London 102 1.62x
Battersea 88 3.07x
West Ham 86 2.53x
Kensington London 81 1.87x
Aston 73 1.35x
Birmingham 73 1.11x
Croydon 73 3.46x
Shoreditch London 71 2.10x
Camberwell 69 1.38x
Hackney London 65 1.49x
Reading St Mary 63 13.43x
Deptford St Paul 58 2.82x
Bermondsey 57 2.45x
Newington 57 1.98x
East Grinstead 55 29.54x
St Marylebone London 51 1.22x
Kingswinford 47 4.92x
Caversham 46 47.73x
Wolverhampton 46 2.27x
Brading 43 20.23x
Bray 41 23.83x
Bethnal Green London 39 1.15x
St George Hanover 39 3.83x
Mile End Old Town 38 3.09x
Newport 37 42.66x
Tonbridge 37 3.85x
Tottenham 37 2.98x
Wendover 37 72.76x
Great Yarmouth 34 3.42x
Clerkenwell London 33 1.79x
Dorking 33 12.93x
Oxford St Thomas 33 14.68x
Reading St Giles 33 5.74x
Chelsea London 32 1.36x
Godalming 32 13.37x
Kings Worthy 32 269.36x
Leicester St Margaret 31 1.47x
Chatham 30 4.10x
Kingston On Thames 30 3.29x
Southwark St George Martyr 30 1.91x
Spitalfields London 30 5.11x
Sutton 30 10.91x
Bedminster 29 2.46x
Ealing 29 4.16x
Westbury On Severn East 29 8.38x
South Stoneham 28 8.07x
West Hoathly 28 67.76x
Farnham 27 9.13x
Dawley 26 10.60x
Paddington London 26 0.91x
Eastbourne 25 4.13x
Hove 25 4.33x
Edmonton 24 3.82x
St George In East 24 4.52x
Nottingham St Mary 23 0.85x
Reigate Foreign 23 5.59x
Sherborne 23 15.25x
Shrewsbury St Chad 23 9.72x
Clapham 22 2.26x
Hemel Hempstead 22 9.08x
Kidderminster Borough 22 3.69x
Southampton St Mary 22 2.19x
St Luke London 22 1.76x
Cowley 21 13.96x
Melcombe Regis 21 9.90x
Watford 21 5.04x
Acton 20 4.37x
Bedwellty 20 2.01x
Bradford 20 4.62x
Hammersmith London 20 1.04x
Twickenham 20 5.98x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 19 1.32x
Leeds 19 0.44x
Southwark St Saviour 19 4.74x
Walsall Foreign 19 1.40x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Simmonds surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 442
Elizabeth 265
Sarah 235
Eliza 161
Alice 158
Jane 156
Ann 154
Ellen 148
Annie 142
Emma 136
Emily 117
Charlotte 76
Fanny 66
Louisa 64
Hannah 60
Harriet 59
Martha 59
Caroline 56
Edith 51
Ada 50
Kate 50
Maria 47
Florence 44
Catherine 43
Susan 43
Rose 41
Lucy 39
Sophia 38
Clara 35
Margaret 31
Harriett 30
Anne 29
Frances 26
Amy 25
Amelia 24
Minnie 24
Rebecca 24
Esther 23
Matilda 21
Agnes 20
Jessie 18
Susannah 17
Julia 16
Bertha 15
Grace 15
Laura 15
Ruth 15
Lydia 14
Rosa 14
Gertrude 13

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Simmonds surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 494
John 369
George 320
Henry 238
Thomas 230
James 218
Charles 206
Alfred 117
Joseph 96
Arthur 93
Frederick 92
Walter 85
Albert 82
Edward 75
Samuel 65
Harry 62
Robert 62
Richard 51
Herbert 40
Frank 39
Ernest 38
Benjamin 35
Edwin 33
David 28
Francis 26
Stephen 22
Daniel 21
Fredrick 16
Geo. 15
Isaac 15
Thos. 15
Percy 14
Sidney 13
Fred 10
Jesse 10
Tom 10
Willm. 10
Abraham 9
Alexander 8
Lewis 8
Peter 8
Sydney 8
Edmund 7
Fredk. 7
Horace 7
Mark 7
Reuben 7
Wm. 7
Edgar 6
Ralph 6

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Simmonds households.

FAQ

Simmonds surname: questions and answers

How common was the Simmonds surname in 1881?

In 1881, 8,010 people were recorded with the Simmonds surname. That placed it at #520 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Simmonds surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 11,222 in 2016. That gives Simmonds a modern rank of #574.

What does the Simmonds surname mean?

Derived from the medieval personal name Simon, meaning "to hear" or "to listen," often referring to an obedient person.

What does the Simmonds map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Simmonds bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.