NameCensus.

UK surname

Sims

Derived from the medieval personal name "Simme," a short form of "Simon," meaning "to hear" or "to listen."

In the 1881 census there were 8,964 people recorded with the Sims surname, ranking it #468 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 12,444, ranked #526, down from #468 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Neath Port Talbot, Bexley and Derby.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sims is 13,203 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 38.8%.

1881 census count

8,964

Ranked #468

Modern count

12,444

2016, ranked #526

Peak year

1998

13,203 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sims had 8,964 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #468 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 12,444 in 2016, ranked #526.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 13,013 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Sims surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sims surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sims 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 6,371 #433
1861 historical 5,459 #506
1881 historical 8,964 #468
1891 historical 9,246 #475
1901 historical 11,803 #442
1911 historical 13,013 #375
1997 modern 12,605 #482
1998 modern 13,203 #478
1999 modern 13,130 #487
2000 modern 12,964 #489
2001 modern 12,697 #489
2002 modern 12,918 #488
2003 modern 12,511 #498
2004 modern 12,527 #495
2005 modern 12,252 #502
2006 modern 12,158 #509
2007 modern 12,126 #516
2008 modern 12,183 #516
2009 modern 12,402 #522
2010 modern 12,603 #521
2011 modern 12,516 #518
2012 modern 12,330 #517
2013 modern 12,662 #516
2014 modern 12,753 #516
2015 modern 12,597 #516
2016 modern 12,444 #526

Geography

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Where Sims' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and St Pancras. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Neath Port Talbot, Bexley, Derby and Bath and North East Somerset. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
5 St Pancras London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Neath Port Talbot 005 Neath Port Talbot
2 Bexley 008 Bexley
3 Derby 013 Derby
4 Neath Port Talbot 003 Neath Port Talbot
5 Bath and North East Somerset 023 Bath and North East Somerset

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sims

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sims

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Sims, 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 Sims surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Sims 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, Sims 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

Sims is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sims 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 Sims 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 Sims, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

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.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sims families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sims 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 1,210 Sims' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.38x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 1,210 1.38x
Hampshire 674 3.75x
Surrey 643 1.51x
Kent 557 1.86x
Gloucestershire 546 3.18x
Derbyshire 517 3.77x
Somerset 458 3.25x
Wiltshire 426 5.50x
Staffordshire 317 1.07x
Glamorgan 314 2.06x
Lancashire 311 0.30x
Nottinghamshire 288 2.44x
Dorset 280 4.87x
Yorkshire 267 0.31x
Berkshire 238 3.62x
Warwickshire 195 0.88x
Devon 185 1.01x
Lincolnshire 162 1.16x
Sussex 162 1.10x
Cornwall 153 1.54x
Monmouthshire 129 2.04x
Essex 120 0.69x
Oxfordshire 93 1.72x
Cheshire 84 0.43x
Bedfordshire 74 1.63x
Norfolk 52 0.39x
Leicestershire 48 0.49x
Northumberland 48 0.37x
Worcestershire 43 0.38x
Buckinghamshire 42 0.79x
Shropshire 30 0.40x
Herefordshire 29 0.81x
Northamptonshire 29 0.35x
Durham 28 0.11x
Hertfordshire 25 0.41x
Carmarthenshire 24 0.65x
Rutland 24 3.73x
Suffolk 20 0.19x
Channel Islands 14 0.54x
Royal Navy 13 1.25x
Cambridgeshire 12 0.22x
Angus 9 0.11x
Midlothian 9 0.08x
Brecknockshire 7 0.40x
Cardiganshire 5 0.23x
East Lothian 5 0.43x
Flintshire 5 0.21x
Isle of Man 5 0.31x
Lanarkshire 5 0.02x
Radnorshire 5 0.71x
Cumberland 4 0.05x
Perthshire 4 0.10x
Westmorland 4 0.21x
Aberdeenshire 3 0.04x
Banffshire 3 0.17x
Merionethshire 3 0.19x
Morayshire 3 0.22x
Pembrokeshire 3 0.11x
Renfrewshire 3 0.04x
Stirlingshire 3 0.09x
Huntingdonshire 2 0.12x
Anglesey 1 0.06x
Argyllshire 1 0.04x
Fife 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 147 Sims' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.73x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 147 1.73x
Lambeth 139 1.82x
Camberwell 122 2.18x
Llansamlet Lower 89 64.47x
Portsea 86 2.44x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 84 5.19x
St Pancras London 83 1.18x
Birmingham 78 1.06x
Bethnal Green London 76 2.00x
Cranborne 76 109.37x
Stoke Upon Trent 71 2.26x
Southampton St Mary 70 6.20x
Aston 60 0.99x
Nottingham St Mary 58 1.90x
Cheltenham 56 4.23x
Camborne 55 13.46x
Chelsea London 54 2.05x
Derby St Werburgh 53 6.69x
Greenwich 52 3.73x
St George Hanover 52 4.55x
Trowbridge 52 15.19x
Erith 50 16.98x
West Ham 50 1.31x
St Marylebone London 49 1.05x
Brighton 47 1.58x
Mile End Old Town 47 3.40x
Battersea 46 1.43x
Shoreditch London 44 1.16x
Newington 42 1.30x
Walcot 41 5.46x
Hackney London 39 0.79x
Sutton In Ashfield 39 15.22x
Belper 38 14.30x
Burley 38 199.58x
Kensington London 36 0.74x
Trevethin 35 5.85x
Whittington 35 18.45x
Congleton 34 10.18x
Crich 33 36.88x
Ealing 32 4.09x
Southwark St George Martyr 32 1.82x
Lewisham 31 1.95x
Paddington London 31 0.96x
Alverstoke 30 4.62x
West Derby 30 0.99x
Bedminster 29 2.19x
Blunham 29 94.37x
St George In East 29 4.87x
Tottenham 29 2.08x
Fulham London 28 2.20x
Rodborough 27 32.55x
Swansea Town 27 2.16x
Warminster 26 15.32x
Audley 25 8.55x
Bermondsey 25 0.96x
Bradford On Avon 25 10.08x
Crayford 25 19.16x
Llansamlet Higher 25 21.97x
St Mary Bourne 25 76.78x
Stone 25 6.61x
Deptford St Paul 24 1.04x
Mansfield Woodhouse 24 30.56x
Paulton 24 37.19x
Stroud 24 7.18x
Uppingham 24 31.31x
Hammersmith London 23 1.07x
Holy Trinity 23 1.10x
Lee 23 5.30x
Revelstoke 23 139.23x
St Luke London 23 1.64x
Andover 22 12.97x
Bromley London 22 1.14x
Llanelly 22 2.65x
Lyncombe Widcombe 22 5.96x
Millbrook 22 4.87x
Poplar London 22 1.33x
West Bromwich 22 1.30x
Alfreton 21 5.04x
Kingston On Thames 21 2.05x
Milborne Port 21 37.22x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 554
Elizabeth 339
Sarah 339
Eliza 164
Ann 160
Jane 148
Ellen 147
Emma 137
Alice 136
Emily 136
Annie 133
Martha 92
Louisa 90
Hannah 84
Harriet 80
Fanny 64
Florence 62
Edith 57
Maria 52
Kate 49
Catherine 48
Margaret 46
Caroline 45
Charlotte 43
Susan 42
Lucy 38
Ada 36
Clara 36
Rose 36
Frances 32
Anne 31
Harriett 28
Amelia 27
Agnes 26
Julia 26
Rebecca 23
Ethel 22
Jessie 22
Sophia 22
Matilda 21
Gertrude 20
Lydia 20
Amy 17
Bessie 16
Henrietta 16
Bertha 15
Elizth. 15
Isabella 15
Minnie 14
Eleanor 13

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 593
John 440
George 367
James 252
Thomas 239
Henry 230
Charles 202
Joseph 146
Alfred 110
Frederick 101
Samuel 94
Arthur 93
Robert 93
Edward 82
Harry 75
Albert 67
Walter 67
Richard 61
Frank 60
David 51
Edwin 51
Ernest 38
Herbert 37
Benjamin 31
Stephen 24
Daniel 23
Francis 21
Tom 21
Wm. 21
Fred 16
Fredrick 16
Geo. 16
Job 14
Isaac 11
Josiah 11
Edgar 10
Fredk. 10
Mark 10
Sidney 10
Alexander 9
Andrew 8
Edmund 8
Harold 8
Jesse 8
Leonard 8
Richd. 8
Abraham 7
Lewis 7
Percy 7
Horace 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 Sims households.

FAQ

Sims surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sims surname in 1881?

In 1881, 8,964 people were recorded with the Sims surname. That placed it at #468 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sims surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 12,444 in 2016. That gives Sims a modern rank of #526.

What does the Sims surname mean?

Derived from the medieval personal name "Simme," a short form of "Simon," meaning "to hear" or "to listen."

What does the Sims map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Sims 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.