Simental
A Spanish-language surname most likely linked to a place name, especially the Simental/Simental-like toponymic tradition in Iberian and Latin American naming.
The #8,380 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 78,163 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Simental is most plausibly a Spanish surname formed from a place name, rather than from a personal name or occupation. In Iberian and Latin American surnames, such forms often began as identifiers for someone who came from a particular village, estate, or geographic feature. The exact source place behind Simental is not firmly established in general reference works, so the name is best treated as a locational surname of uncertain pinpoint origin.
History
The surname is found today especially in Spanish-speaking communities, including the United States through Mexican and broader Latin American migration. Its present spelling may reflect regional spelling habits or a family line that preserved a local pronunciation. Because no direct historical dictionary entry was available here, the deeper documentary trail should be treated cautiously.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The ending -al is common in Spanish surnames and place names, so Simental has the look of a surname that originally pointed to a specific locality.