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Semple History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Semple History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Early Origins of the Semple family

The surname Semple was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Scotland to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Semple family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Semple research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1280, 1315, 1489, 1545, 1558, 1564, 1566, 1577, 1591, 1595, 1596, 1600, 1616, 1621, 1625, 1640, 1643, 1644, 1654, 1663, 1666, 1667, 1677, 1680, 1682, 1700, 1741, 1749, 1757, 1782 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Semple History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Semple Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Semple, Simple, Sempill, Sempell, Symple, Sympell and many more.

Early Notables of the Semple family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Hugh Sempill or Semple (1596-1654), was a Scottish mathematician, born at Craigevar and was was nephew of Colonel William Sempill. Sir James Sempill (1566-1625) of Beltrees, called by Knox 'the dancer...

Semple Ranking

In the United States, the name Semple is the 9,391^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Semple family to Ireland

Some of the Semple family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 123 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Semple migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Semple Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Semple, who arrived in New York in 1739 2
John Semple, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1772
James Semple, who landed in America in 1774 2
Thomas Semple, who arrived in America in 1782 2
William Semple, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1799 2

Semple Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Andrew Semple, who arrived in Key West, Fla in 1838 2
Alexander, Francis, Hugh, James, John, Joseph, Lewis, Mathew, Robert, Samuel, and William Semple all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1870
Samuel Semple, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1849 2
John Semple, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 2
R H Semple, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1868 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Semple migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Semple Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

James Semple, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1778

Semple Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Robert Semple, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1842

Semple migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Semple Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Miss Jennet Semple, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years , transported aboard the "Britannia III" on 18th July 1798, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3

Semple Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Semple, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for life, transported aboard the "Champion" on 24th May 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Adam Semple, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lady Bute" in 1839 5
Isabella Semple, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lady Bute" in 1839 5
Hugh Semple, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lady Bute" in 1839 5
Miss Elizabeth Semple, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth and Henry" on 14th September 1846, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Semple migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Semple Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Martha J. Semple, aged 22, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1879

Contemporary Notables of the name Semple (post 1700) +

Robert Semple (1777-1816), American-born, Canadian Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company (1815-1815), son of British parents, who were made prisoners during the American War of Independence, he was born at Boston, Massachusetts
Maria Keogh Semple (b. 1964), American novelist and screenwriter
Eugene Semple (1840-1908), American politician, 13th Governor of Washington Territory (1887-1889)
James Semple (1798-1866), American politician, United States Senator from Illinois (1843-1847)
Robert Semple (1887-1943), American Lieutenant Commander, Medal of Honor recipient
Robert B. Semple Jr. (b. 1936), American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and associate editor of The New York Times editorial page
Lorenzo Semple Jr. (b. 1923), American Edgar Allan Poe Award winning and New York Film Critics Circle Award winning screenwriter and sometime playwright, known for his work on the Batman television series and the movies The Parallax View (1974) and Three Days of the Condor (1975)
Frederick Humphrey Semple (1872-1927), American silver Olympic golfer at the 1904 Summer Olympics
Carol Semple (b. 1948), American amateur golfer
James George Semple (b. 1799), alias Semple-Lisle, a Scottish adventurer, born at Irvine, who also passed under the names Maxwell, Harrod, and Grant; he was serving in America in 1776, where he was taken prisoner, but was released in 1777, and returned to England
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Semple family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Alexander Semple, British Stoker 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 7

Ibrox disaster

John McInnes Semple (1953-1971), Scottish football supporter, from Dumbartonshire who was at the Ibrox disaster on 2nd January 1971 when a human crush among the crowd killed 66 and injured 200 people he died of his injuries 8

RMS Lusitania

Master John Semple, Canadian 2nd Class passenger residing in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 9
Mrs. Agnes Semple, Scottish 2nd Class passenger residing in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 9

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Britannia
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 18th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/champion
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LADY BUTE 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839LadyBute.gif
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth-and-henry
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Bradford City Football Club In memory (retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://www.bradfordcityafc.com/club/in-memoriam/
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/