Contents [hide]

Simpkins History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Simpkins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor as in 'the son of Simon.' 1 Another source puts the etymology a little differently: "descendant of little Sim, a pet form of Simon or Simeon (gracious hearing)." 2

Early Origins of the Simpkins family

The surname Simpkins was first found in Suffolk where Anand Simekin was recorded in 1199. As a forename we found Symekyn Sadeler in London in 1378. 3

Early History of the Simpkins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Simpkins research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1199, 1378, 1466, 1524, 1667, 1790, 1805 and 1845 are included under the topic Early Simpkins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Simpkins Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Simkins, Simpkins, Simkin, Simpkin, Sinkin, Sinkins, Sinkings, Simkiss, Simpkiss, Semken, Sempken, Semkin, Sempkin, Semkins, Sempkins, Symkins, Symekyn, Symkyn, Sympkynn, Simekin, Simkinson, Simpkinson and many more.

Early Notables of the Simpkins family

Distinguished members of the family include

John Agustus Francis Simpkinson, a Queen's counsel and the treasurer of Lincoln's inn at St...

Simpkins Ranking

In the United States, the name Simpkins is the 2,548^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Simpkins family to Ireland

Some of the Simpkins family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Simpkins migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Simpkins Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ralph Simpkins, who landed in Virginia in 1636 5
Edward Simpkins, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 5
Nicholas Simpkins, who arrived in New England in 1650

Simpkins Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Simpkins, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 5

Simpkins migration to Australia +

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

Simpkins Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. Charles Simpkins, English convict who was convicted in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6

Simpkins Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Maria Simpkins, English convict from Wiltshire, who was transported aboard the "America" on December 30, 1830, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7
Miss Ann Simpkins, (b. 1779), aged 53, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for life, transported aboard the "Diana" on 4th December 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1852 8
Mr. John Simpkins, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years transported aboard the "Forfarshire" on 24th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Susan Simpkins, aged 17, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Warren Hastings"

Simpkins 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:

Simpkins Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Simpkins, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
Mr. Emanuel Simpkins, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Egmont" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th June 1858 10
Mrs. Martha Simpkins, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Egmont" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th June 1858 10
Mr. George Simpkins, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Egmont" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th June 1858 10
Mr. John Simpkins, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Egmont" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th June 1858 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Simpkins migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 11

Simpkins Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Nathaniell Simpkins, aged 26, who arrived in St. Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635
Nathaniel Simpkins, aged 26, who landed in St Christopher in 1635 5
Nathaniell Simpkins, aged 26, who arrived in St Christopher in 1635 5
Mr. Nathaniell Simpkins, (b. 1609), aged 26, British settler traveling aboard the ship "William and John" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 12

Contemporary Notables of the name Simpkins (post 1700) +

Ron Simpkins (b. 1958), American professional football player
John Simpkins (1862-1898), American politician from Massachusetts; U.S. Representative 1895–1898
Dickey Simpkins (b. 1972), American professional basketball player
Charles Simpkins (b. 1963), American Olympic athlete
Andy Simpkins (1932-1999), American jazz musician
James Oscar Simpkins (b. 1923), American Democratic Party politician, Member of North Carolina State Senate 7th District, 1959 13
James B. Simpkins, American Democratic Party politician, Elected West Virginia State House of Delegates 15th District 1984 13
Harry E. Simpkins, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Indiana, 1936 13
Arthur Simpkins, American politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Queens County 5th District, 1935 13
Arthur Simpkins, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from South Carolina, 1860 13
... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1830 with 135 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1830
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Diana
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/forfarshire
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html