Explore the Family Name Simon
The meaning of Simon
English (Lancashire), French, Walloon, Breton, German, Dutch, Hungarian, northern Italian, and Jewish (Ashkenazic); Spanish (Simón); Czech and Slovak (mainly Šimon); Slovenian, Croatian, and Rusyn (from Slovakia) (also Šimon): from the Biblical personal name, Hebrew Shim‘on, which is probably derived from the Hebrew verb sham‘a ‘to hearken’. In the Vulgate and in many vernacular versions of the Old Testament, this is usually rendered Simeon. In the Greek New Testament, however, the name occurs as Simōn, as a result of assimilation to the pre-existing Greek byname Sīmōn (from sīmos ‘snub-nosed’). Both Simon and Simeon were in use as personal names in western Europe from the Middle Ages onward. In Christendom the former was always more popular, at least in part because of its associations with the apostle Simon Peter, the brother of Andrew. In Britain there was also confusion from an early date with Anglo-Scandinavian forms of Sigmund(r) or Sigmund (see Siegmund), a name whose popularity was reinforced at the Conquest by the Norman form Simund. In North America, this surname has also absorbed cognates from other languages, e.g. Italian Simone, Polish Szymon, Albanian Simoni, and Assyrian/Chaldean or Arabic Shimun, Shamon, or Shamoun, and also their derivatives (see examples at Simons). See also Shimon. History: André Simon dit Boucher from France married Marie Martin in Acadia c.1688. François Simon from Saint-Pair-sur-Mer in Manche, France, married Marie-Dorothée Gagnon in Rivière-Ouelle, QC, in 1744.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Simon in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Simon has seen some fluctuations from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Simon was ranked as the 383rd most popular surname in the U.S., and by 2010 it had dropped slightly to 397th place, marking a change of -3.66%. However, the actual count of individuals with the Simon surname increased from 74,839 in 2000 to 80,460 in 2010, a rise of 7.51%. The proportion of people with the surname per 100,000 also saw a slight decrease of -1.66%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #383 | #397 | -3.66% |
| Count | 74,839 | 80,460 | 7.51% |
| Proportion per 100k | 27.74 | 27.28 | -1.66% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Simon
When looking at the ethnic identity tied to the surname Simon, based on the Decennial U.S. Census, there have been noticeable shifts between the years 2000 and 2010. The majority of Simons in both years identified as White, though this percentage decreased from 69.94% in 2000 to 65.09% in 2010. Meanwhile, those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased significantly from 1.98% to 2.75%, marking a 38.89% change. There was also an increase in the Hispanic representation within the Simon surname, rising from 4.66% to 7.06%, a significant 51.50% change. Individuals identifying as Black or of two or more races also saw increases, whereas the American Indian and Alaskan Native category remained relatively stable.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 69.94% | 65.09% | -6.93% |
| Black | 20.95% | 22.51% | 7.45% |
| Hispanic | 4.66% | 7.06% | 51.5% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.98% | 2.75% | 38.89% |
| Two or More Races | 1.83% | 1.93% | 5.46% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.65% | 0.67% | 3.08% |
Simon ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Simon is British & Irish, which comprises 25.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (23.1%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (19.0%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, Scandinavian, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 25.6% |
| French & German | 23.1% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 19.0% |
| Other | 32.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Simon
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Simon have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 54.30% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 54.00% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 53.90% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 53.60% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 53.30% |
What Simon haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Simon is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and J-CTS5368, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Klein, Frank, Weiss, Schneider, Miller, Schwartz, Kramer, Hoffman, Berger, Meyers.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Simon surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Simon have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Simon" Surname 41.1%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Simon" Surname 27.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Simon" Surname 19.9%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Simon" Surname 17.4%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Simon?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Simon are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition