SIME
Sime is a surname of Scottish origin that derives from the personal name Simon, itself borrowed from the Hebrew name Simeon (Shim'on), meaning “he has heard.” The name was common as a given name in Scotland during the Middle Ages and subsequently entered use as a hereditary surname. In England the name appears in the early twelfth‑century Curia Regis Rolls, and its first recorded spelling in Scotland is that of Ralph Simme, a witness in the Assize Court Rolls of Kent dated 1317 under the reign of Edward I.
The surname Sime is a variant of Sim, a diminutive of Simon used throughout early medieval Britain. Contemporary records document spellings such as Symme, Symes, Simme, and Simms. For example, John Symme is mentioned in the 1345 Court Rolls of the borough of Colchester, while the 1379 Poll Tax Records of Yorkshire list a Robert Symmes.
In Scottish Gaelic the name is an Anglicised form of MacShimidh, meaning “son of Shimidh.” Shimidh itself is a Gaelic adaptation of the ancient Celtic personal name Simmias, which can be traced back to the Gaulish deity Semo Sancus. The Sime family are historically associated with Renfrewshire near Glasgow, where they established their own branch of the clan, and later moved to Kelso and Hawick in the Borders in the eighteenth century. Branches were also found in Argyll near Loch Awe and Loch Linnhe.
Derivation from the Celtic word for “wise” or “good judgement” suggests that the surname was intended to denote an ancestor of strong intellect and sound decision‑making, qualities valued in the often turbulent political landscape of early Scottish history. In the broader United Kingdom the name is concentrated in counties such as Aberdeenshire, Angus, and Edinburgh, where it is the eighteenth most common surname in Scotland.
Internationally the surname is uncommon. According to the United States Census Bureau the name appears in 2018 with only 982 individuals in the United States, largely a result of Scottish migration, particularly to South Carolina where variants like Simms and Sims also occur. Small numbers exist in France and Germany, typically stemming from Scottish immigrants. Variants of the surname also appear in Ireland, where the Gaelic name O'Siadhail is historically linked to the sept of Siadhail in Connacht, and in Wales, where the variant Simes was recorded.
Typical given names associated with the Sime surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Michael
- Peter
- Robert
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Aileen
- Carol
- Christine
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jane
- Janet
- Jean
- Karen
- Kirsty
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Sime in...
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There are approximately 1,406 people named Sime in the UK. That makes it roughly the 5,662nd most common surname in Britain. Around 22 in a million people in Britain are named Sime.
Surname type: From given name or forename
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Sime
- Joanna Sime - Artistic gymnast
- Jessie Sime - Novelist, lecturer, feminist (1868 to 1958)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.