How common is the surname Simpson?

163,181 people in the United States had the surname Simpson in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,892 Americans. It ranked 158th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Simpson?

Jessica Simpson, American singer and actress, followed by Wallis Simpson.

Where is the surname Simpson most common?

Wikidata records people named Simpson in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 1 other country.

How do you pronounce Simpson?

Simpson is /ˈsɪmp.sən/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Simpson getting more or less common?

More common. 158,241 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 163,181 in 2010, up 3.1%.

The surname Simpson

A patronymic surname, carried by 163,181 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈsɪmp.sən/ 2 syllables Soundex S512

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Simpson is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

From Middle English Sympson, equivalent to Sim, the short form of Simon, + -son.

Simpson is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 163,181 people named Simpson in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 1,892 Americans. That is up 3.1% since 2000, when the Census counted 158,241.

#158

rank among US surnames

163,181

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+3.1%

change since 2000 (was #145)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#149	Henry	170,964	1,806
#150	Chen	169,580	1,821
#151	Freeman	169,149	1,825
#152	Webb	168,878	1,828
#153	Tucker	167,446	1,844
#154	Guzman	167,044	1,848
#155	Burns	165,925	1,861

Who is named Simpson

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

71% of people named Simpson identified as white (not Hispanic), 23% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.5% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 71%
Black (not Hispanic) 23%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.5%
Two or more races 2.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Simpsons

42 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Jessica Simpson
American singer and actress, born 1980
Wallis Simpson
American socialite and wife of the Duke of Windsor (1896-1986)
O. J. Simpson
American football player and actor (1947–2024)
Ashlee Simpson
American singer and actress, born 1984
Gaylord Simpson
American paleontologist (1902–1984)
Cody Simpson
Australian singer, born 1997
Jimmi Simpson
American film and television actor, born 1975
Jenny Simpson
American middle-distance runner and steeplechaser, born 1986
Mona Simpson
American novelist, born 1957
Don Simpson
American film producer, screenwriter, actor (1943–1996)
Mike Simpson
American politician, born 1950
Russell Simpson
American actor (1880–1959)

Notable Simpsons come mostly from the United States (35), Australia (3) and the United Kingdom (3).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Simson

Surnames that sound like Simpson

Simpson has the Soundex code S512, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code S512.

Questions

Where does the surname Simpson come from?: From Middle English Sympson, equivalent to Sim, the short form of Simon, + -son.
How common is the surname Simpson?: 163,181 people in the United States had the surname Simpson in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,892 Americans. It ranked 158th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Simpson?: In the 2010 Census, 71% of people named Simpson identified as white (not Hispanic), and 23% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Simpson?: Jessica Simpson, American singer and actress, followed by Wallis Simpson.
Where is the surname Simpson most common?: Wikidata records people named Simpson in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 1 other country.
How do you pronounce Simpson?: Simpson is /ˈsɪmp.sən/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Simpson?: Simpson is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Simpson getting more or less common?: More common. 158,241 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 163,181 in 2010, up 3.1%.
What are other spellings of Simpson?: Simson.