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Origin / History of the Symes Name

This name, with variant spellings Sims, Simes, Sym(m)s and Symes, derives from the medieval given name ‘Sim(me)’, a short form of the Greek personal name Simon, substituted for the Hebrew ‘Shimeon’ meaning ‘he who hears’.  In English versions of the Old Testament the name appears both as Shimeon and Simeon, but in the New Testament it generally takes the form Simon.  The final ‘s’ indicates the genitive, and is a reduced form of ‘son of’.  The first recording of Simon in England is in the 1134 Records of St. Benet of Holme, Norfolk.  Other early recordings of the surname include: Ralph Simme, who appears in the 1317 Assize Court Rolls of Kent; a John Symme, recorded in the 1345 Court Rolls of the Borough of Colchester; and Robert Symmes, in the 1379 ‘Poll Tax Returns Records of Yorkshire’.    

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