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Simonson History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Simonson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland
Scotland

While surnames were well-known during the English medieval period, Cornish People originally used only a single name. The way in which hereditary surnames came into common use is interesting. Under the Feudal System of government, surnames evolved and they often reflected life on the manor and in the field. Patronymic surnames were derived from given names and were the predominant type of surname among the Celtic peoples of Britain. However, the people of Cornwall provide a surprising exception to this rule, and patronymic surnames are less common among them than other people of Celtic stock, such as their Welsh neighbors. This type of surname blended perfectly with the prevailing Feudal System. One feature that is occasionally found in Cornish surnames of this type is the suffix -oe or -ow; this is derived from the Cornish plural suffix -ow. is a patronymic surname that came from the first name of the bearer's father, meaning literally "son of Simon." Alternatively, the name could have "come from the Domesday name Simund, which is distinct from Simon." 1

Simon was a popular biblical name and comes ultimately from the ancient Hebrew personal name Shimon, meaning "to hearken." 2

The name appears as a character in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales: 'Awake, Simond, the fend is on me fall.'

Early Origins of the Simonson family

The surname Simonson was first found in Devon and in Cornwall, where the family held a family seat since ancient times.

The ancient Latin form of the name Simmunddnrus was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. 3

Simeon or Symeon of Durham (fl. 1130), was an English historian, a monk of Durham, being thirty-eighth on his own list of the monks of that house. Saint Simeon Stock (1165?-1265), was general of the Carmelite friars and is said to have been born in Kent of noble parents about 1165. "From his earliest years he was devoted to religion, and, according to the legend, owed his surname to the fact that from his twelfth year he lived a hermit's life in the trunk or stock of a tree for twenty years. " 4

Simeon of Warwick (died 1295), was an English historian who became a Benedictine monk at St. Mary's, York, and in 1258 was elected abbot.

In Scotland, the first records of the family were "Symon, capellanus, [who] witnessed a charter by William Bruce to Adam Carlyle, c. 1194-1214, and Symon or Simon, archidiaconus of Aberdeen, a charter witness, 1172." 5

Early History of the Simonson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Simonson research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1178, 1273, 1379, 1388, 1475, 1487, 1500, 1525, 1528, 1586, 1614, 1617, 1623, 1624, 1640, 1665, 1687, 1692, 1815 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Simonson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Simonson Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Symons, Symonds, Symond, Simmins, Simins, Simmonds, Simonds, Simond, Simmons, Simon, Simmon, Simmen, Symon and many more.

Early Notables of the Simonson family

Notable amongst the family at this time was John Symons, M.P. for Helston in 1388; Thomas Simon (c. 1623-1665), English medalist, born in Yorkshire who studied engraving under Nicholas Briot; Samuel Simmons (1640-1687), an English printer, best known as the first publisher of several works by John Milton; Abraham Simon (1617-1692?), an English medalist to the Royal Mint with his brother, Thomas Simon (c. 1623-1665); and Richard Symonds (1617-1692?), an English Royalist and antiquary, best known for his eye-witness diary of the events of the First English Civil War. Sir George Simeon was an English landowner and politician, Member of Parliament...
Another 114 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Simonson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Simonson Ranking

In the United States, the name Simonson is the 4,062^nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Simonson family to Ireland

Some of the Simonson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Simonson migration to the United States +

An investigation of the immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Simonson:

Simonson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Moses Simonson, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621 aboard the ship "Fortune" 7

Simonson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Simonson, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1796 7

Simonson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

S Simonson, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
V Simonson, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
Omun Simonson, who arrived in Illinois in 1857 7
Halvor Simonson, who landed in Illinois in 1857 7
Charles Simonson, who arrived in Mississippi in 1879 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Simonson migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Simonson Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Lieut. John Simonson U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Simonson (post 1700) +

Susan Raab Simonson (1969-2006), American theatre actress and producer
David Arnold Simonson (b. 1952), American former professional American football player
Eric Simonson (b. 1960), Academy Award-winning American writer and director in theatre, film, and opera
Walt Simonson (b. 1946), American comic book writer and artist
Albert Simonson (1914-1965), American Chess master
John Smith Simonson (1796-1881), American politician, Representative from Indiana, 1837; Member of Indiana State House of Representatives, 1841-46; Speaker of the Indiana State House of Representatives, 1845-46 9
James A. Simonson, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 11th District, 1928; Member of New York Republican State Committee, 1930-36 9
J. J. Simonson, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Dakota, 1928 9
Harris Simonson, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Utah, 1932 9
G. Whitfield Simonson, American politician, Representative from Connecticut 4th District, 1912 9
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html