Why are they called Simpsons?

They are called Simpsons because creator Matt Groening named the family after his own family members, using his own family as inspiration for the characters. Matt Groening created The Simpsons in 1986 for The Tracey Ullman Show shorts. When asked to create a family, he named them after his own family. His father was Homer Simpson, his mother was Margaret, called Marge, his sisters are Lisa and Maggie, and his brother is Mark, though Groening changed Mark to Bart as an anagram of brat, meaning mischievous child. Groening thought it would be funny to have a family named Simpson, which is a common American surname and also sounds like simpleton, reflecting the show's satire of average American family. The surname Simpson was chosen because it was generic and relatable, representing middle America, and also because Groening's father's name was Homer Simpson, so he used his father's full name for the dad character. The town Springfield was chosen because it is one of the most common town names in the US, making it feel like Anywhere, USA. So the family is called Simpsons because Groening named them after his own family members, with Bart as the exception, and chose Simpson as a common, humorous surname that embodies the average American family the show satirizes.

They are called Simpsons because creator Matt Groening named main characters after his own family members, with last name Simpson chosen as pun on son of a simp or son of simpleton, and because it was generic American last name that sounded funny and relatable for average American family, with Groening naming them after his family. Matt Groening created The Simpsons as shorts for Tracey Ullman Show in 1987, then as series in 1989, with characters based on his family, Homer Simpson named after his father Homer Groening, Marge Simpson named after his mother Margaret Marge Groening, Lisa and Maggie named after his sisters Lisa and Maggie Groening, and Bart is anagram of brat, with Bart being stand-in for Matt himself, while last name Simpson was chosen because Groening thought it was funny sounding name and generic American family name, with joke that Simpson means son of a simp or simpleton, referring to Homer being simple man, and also sounding like everyman American family. Groening chose Simpson because he wanted average American family name that was common and humorous, not too specific ethnic name, representing typical American family in Springfield, with Simpson being common surname in US ranked around 100 most common, and also pun on Simpson meaning son of simpleton fitting Homer's character as not smart. So they are called Simpsons because Matt Groening named them after his own family members with last name Simpson chosen as funny generic American name and pun on son of a simp, representing average American family, with characters based on his father Homer, mother Marge, sisters Lisa and Maggie, and himself as Bart.