Simpson
A classic patronymic surname meaning “son of Sim” or “son of Simon.”
The #158 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 1,892 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Simpson is a patronymic surname built from the given name Sim, a pet form of Simon, plus the suffix -son, meaning “son of.” In origin it therefore means “son of Simon.” Older surname writers also note that the -p- in Simpson is intrusive, added in spelling and pronunciation to the older form Simson. Simon itself comes through Old French from the biblical Hebrew name Shimon, though the surname is formed in English usage.
History
The name is widespread in England and later became common in Scotland and North America. Historical writers recorded it both as an ordinary patronymic and, in a few local lineages, as a name adopted from an ancestor called Simon rather than from a fixed family surname. Spellings such as Simson and Sympson reflect the same underlying name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname dictionaries often singled out Simpson as an example of an “intrusive” p appearing in a name that was originally Simson.
From the historical record
“(occ.) 2 for Semple, Sample, q.v. SIMPSON (with the common post-»j intrus. ■p) for Simson, q.v. SIMS, Sim's (Son) 1 SIMSON, Sim's Son; SINCLAIR (A.-Fr.-Lat.) Bel. to St. Clair (several in Normandy) [Fr. clair, Lat. clar-us, clear, bright, illustrious]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)