Simon

SEYE-muhn

The name Simon comes from the Hebrew Shimʿon (שִׁמְעוֹן), derived from the verb shamʿa (“to hear, to listen”), yielding the sense “he has heard” or “one who hears, listens.” The Greek New Testament rendering is Símōn (Σίμων), which may also have been

US Rank

No. 252

Births

1,402

Peak Year

1888

reinforced by the Greek adjective simos (“flat-nosed”), though the Hebrew origin is primary.

Latin preserved the form as Simon, and from there it passed into every European language.

What the name Simon means

The Hebrew Bible names Simeon as the second son of Jacob and Leah, founder of 1 of the 12 tribes of Israel, born according to Genesis 29:33 because “the Lord has heard that I am unloved.” In the New Testament, Simon Peter, the first-called of the

Twelve Apostles, receives from Jesus the additional name Cephas (kêpa, “rock”), rendered in Greek as Petros.

Simon the Zealot is another of the Twelve, and Simon of Cyrene helped carry the cross to Golgotha.

Medieval and early-modern history contains Simon de Montfort (1208-1265), architect of the English parliamentary revolt against Henry III; Simón Bolívar (1783-1830), the liberator of 6 South American republics; and composer Simon Sechter.

In literature, the name belongs to Golding’s mystical boy in Lord of the Flies (1954), to the detective Simon Templar (the Saint) of Leslie Charteris, and to Paul Simon of Simon and Garfunkel, whose Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970) remains a defining

American song.

U.S. Social Security records place Simon in the top 1000 continuously since 1880, with a long mid-century plateau around rank 400-500. It has climbed steadily since the 1990s, entering the top 250 by 2020.

The name’s appeal crosses religious lines, from Jewish and Christian families who value its scriptural weight to secular parents drawn to its softly bookish cadence.

Contemporary bearers include actor Simon Pegg, naturalist Simon King, British television personality Simon Cowell, and French philosopher Simone Weil (feminine form). Variants include the Italian Simone, Spanish Simón, and Russian Semyon.