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Semple Surname Meaning & Origin

What the Semple last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.

Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Semple coat of arms for you.

Meaning and origin of the Semple last name

Meaning of the Semple last name: someone who came from St. Paul (small). According to Elsdon Smith, the English surname Semple first described someone who came from St. Paul (small), the name of many places in France. Roughly 12,073 people bear the surname Semple; the United States, Canada and England are among their homes.

Arms associated with the Semple name

Sharing a surname establishes no coat of arms entitlement; heraldry follows documented individual lineages.

Get your full Semple family history

This is only a glimpse of the Semple story. The full Semple history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Semple coat of arms. Get the full Semple report.

Semple name FAQ

What does the Semple name mean?

Someone who came from St. Paul (small).

Where does the Semple surname come from?

It originates in England, and is also found in the United States and Canada.

Is there a Semple coat of arms?

Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Semple coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.

Sources: Elsdon C. Smith, Dictionary of American Family Names (1956), individual surname entries; modern indexed dictionary entries supersede conflicting interpretations.; Forebears, Surnam.es and individual surname distribution references.