Simonson
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Simon.”
The #3,965 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 34,427 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Simonson is a patronymic surname built from the personal name Simon plus -son, meaning “son of Simon.” The given name Simon ultimately goes back to Hebrew Shim‘on, traditionally understood as “he has heard” or “God has heard,” and it spread widely through Greek and Latin Christian usage. In English and Scandinavian naming, Simonson developed as a straightforward family name identifying descent from a man named Simon.
History
This surname appears in English records in forms such as Simons and Simonson, and it also fits well with Scandinavian patronymic naming patterns. In Britain and North America, it has generally remained a relatively uncommon but transparent surname. The same basic formation can arise independently in different places wherever Simon was a common father’s name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The related surname Simonds was often treated by older writers as a variant of Simonson, showing how fluid spelling could be before standardization.
From the historical record
“Simon, Simmonds, Sim- mons, Simonds, Simons, Simonson. — Bapt 'the son of Simon,' or Simond with ex- crescent d, *Cym, propyr name (Cymund, H. P.), Simon' : Prompt Parv. p. 77 (cf. gowttd, pro- vincial for gown, ribband and”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)