Contents [hide]

Simons History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Simons History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Italy
Israel

Similar to many French family names, the distinguished surname Simons is a proud sign of a rich and ancient ancestry. The earliest forms of hereditary surnames in France were the patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. The patronyms were derived from a variety of given names that were of many different origins. As well as the names of the saints of the Christian Church, many of the most common French surnames are derived from personal names of Germanic origin. They derive from the language of the Visigoths, who controlled France between the mid-5th and early 8th centuries. Simons is derived from the Hebrew personal name Shim'on, meaning to hearken.

Early Origins of the Simons family

The surname Simons was first found in Lorraine where they held a family seat and are said to be descended from the first French Simon or Sigismond, the Duke of Lorraine, 1115 A.D. who was succeeded by Simon II in 1179. There is also some distant relationship to Simond, King of Bourgogne. Robert Simon is cited as a knight in 1169. 1

This prolific family dispersed to many parts of France including Kerbringal, Val-au-Houlle, Vallemoisan, Villeneuve and Ligou in Brittany, Plainmarais in Normandie, Quirielle in Bourbonnais, Maine, Laval, Montillemart and Ratisbone. Abbot Honoré-Richard Simon was a noted researcher who died in 1693. Richard Simon was a celebrated orator who died in 1712. Denis Simon was a noted jurist who died in 1731. Antoine Simon was guardian of the dauphin Louis XVII at Temple Prison in 1793. In Britain this surname Simon became the family name of the Viscounts and Barons Simon.

Gregoire Simon, born in 1631, son of Jean and Simone (née Bancherelle), travelled to Canada in the 17th century. He married Jeanne Collet, born in 1645, daughter of Michel and Marie (née Henaut), in Montreal, Quebec on 31st December 1668. They settled together in Montreal until they passed away on 8th May 1691. 2

Early History of the Simons family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Simons research. The years 1638 and 1712 are included under the topic Early Simons History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Simons Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Simon, Simond, Simmon, Simmond, Simeon, Simmeon, Simian, Simiane, Simmiane, Simmian, Le Simon, Simmonde, Simonde, Simont, Simonte, De Simon, Du Simon, du Simon, de Simon, Simons, Simmonne, Simmonet and many more.

Early Notables of the Simons family

More information is included under the topic Early Simons Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Simons World Ranking

In the United States, the name Simons is the 1,357^th most popular surname with an estimated 22,383 people with that name. 3 However, in New Zealand, the name Simons is ranked the 852^nd most popular surname with an estimated 859 people with that name. 4 And in Netherlands, the name Simons is the 115^th popular surname with an estimated 9,198 people with that name. 5 South Africa ranks Simons as 887^th with 7,848 people. 6

Simons migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Simons Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert and William Simons, who settled in Virginia in 1606
William Simons, who landed in Jamestown, Va in 1607 7
Roger Simons, who landed in America in 1620 7
Thomas Simons, who arrived in Maryland in 1642 7
Hendrickje Simons, who landed in America in 1646 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Simons Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Susan Simons, who landed in Virginia in 1703 7
Richard Simons, who landed in Virginia in 1711 7
George Simons, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 7

Simons Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Gerhard Simons, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1805 7
John Simons, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1810 7
Pedro Simons, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1813 7
Manuel G Simons, aged 21, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1837 7
John N Simons, aged 78, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1839 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Simons migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Simons Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

John Simons, who was a boatkeeper in St. John's Harbour, Newfoundland, in 1682 8

Simons Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Robert Simons, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mr. Titus Simons U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 9
Mr. Titus Geer Simons U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 9
Mr. Titus Simons Sr., U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1784 he was a Quarter Master 9
Mr. Henry Simons U.E. who settled in Thurlow [Belleville], Hastings County, Ontario c. 1790 he served in the Loyal Rangers 9

Simons Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Dan Simons, who arrived in Canada in 1828
Gehrhard Simons, who landed in Manitoba in 1874
Cornelius Simons, who landed in Manitoba in 1874
Jacob Simons, who arrived in Manitoba in 1875
Berhard Simons, who landed in Manitoba in 1876
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Simons migration to Australia +

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

Simons Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Solomon Simons, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 16th January 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. William Simons, (b. 1800), aged 20, British carpenter who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for theft, transported aboard the "Caledonia" on 5th July 1820, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Henry Simons, a bricklayer, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
Joseph Simons, English convict from Northampton, who was transported aboard the "Agincourt" on July 6, 1844, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 12
Mr. John Simons, (b. 1812), aged 33 born in Bodmin, Cornwall, UK convicted in Bodmin on 8th April 1845, sentenced for 15 years for stealing sheep, transported aboard the ship "Equestrian" in 1845 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Simons 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:

Simons Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Walter Simons, British settler arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 14
Mrs. Catherine Simons née Wilton, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 14
Mr. William Simons, (b. 1843), aged 20, British farm labourer travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th October 1863 15
Amelia Simons, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Empress" in 1865
Mr. Vincent T. Simons, (b. 1869), aged 9 months, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship 'Merope' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 27th October 1870 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Simons (post 1700) +

Richard Duncan Simons (1927-2022), American jurist and politician from New York, Acting Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals from 1992 to 1993
Jim Simons (1950-2005), American PGA professional golfer
James Harris Simons (b. 1938), American mathematician and fund-manager
Howard Simons (1929-1989), American journalist
Henry Calvert Simons (1899-1948), American economist
Billy Simons (b. 1983), American singer-songwriter
Barbara Simons (b. 1941), American computer scientist, past president of the Association for Computing Machinery
Arthur D "Bull" Simons (1918-1979), American military officer, best known for leading Operation Ivory Coast, an attempted rescue of American prisoners of war from the Vietcong prison at Son Tay
Mr. William Simons, Welsh coal mine pumpman working in Abercarn coal mine in Wales on 11th September 1878, he was awarded the Albert Medal for lifesaving
Walter Simons (1861-1937), German lawyer and politician
... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Simons family +

Lady of the Lake

Mr. James Simons (b. 1785), Irish traveller from Ireland who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and he died in the sinking

The Simons Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: C'est mon plaisir
Motto Translation: It is my pleasure.

Citations +

Hozier, Charles D, and Antoine Bachelin-Delforenne. État présent De La Noblesse française (1883-1887): Contenant Le Distionnaire De La Noblesse Contemporaine Et Larmorial général De France, Dapres Les Manuscrits De Ch. D Hozier. Librairie Des Bibliophiles, 1884. Print.
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
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
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 24) Agincourt voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1844 with 226 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agincourt/1844
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/tasmanian_convicts_cornish.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html