The Simpson surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 163,181 people carried this name — #158 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 1,810 people counted. That is up 3% from 158,241 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Simpson surname
A Scottish and northern English patronymic surname derived from Sim, the short form of Simon.
From Middle English Sympson, equivalent to Sim, the short form of Simon, + -son.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Simpson» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 75 births for the Simpson name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 3,300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim.”
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
150 people named Simpson live in Switzerland.
They live in 11 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 96 people named Simpson.
Most of them — 79 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 5 départements, most often Paris.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 95 people named Simpson live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Córdoba.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Poland’s population register
60 people named Simpson have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 168 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 11 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 27 people named Simpson live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Antwerp.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
219 people named Simpson are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Simpson in American newspapers,
1900–1918.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,116,658 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Simpson,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Richard Simpson 1550–1588 · Catholic priest -
Sidrach Simpson 1600–1655 · civil servant -
Thomas Simpson 1710–1761 · mathematician -
Edmund Simpson 1784–1848 · theatre manager -
George Simpson 1787–1860 · businessperson
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 198 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Simpson.
- Simonin 400 · U.S. census
- Simonini 335 · U.S. census
- Simonis 1,011 · U.S. census
- Simons 25,755 · U.S. census
- Simony 106 · U.S. census
- Simplot 205 · U.S. census
- Simula 146 · U.S. census
- Sin 3,725 · U.S. census
- Sinan 136 · U.S. census
- Sinanian 227 · U.S. census
- Sinapi 149 · U.S. census
- Sinard 189 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Simpson is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.