Simeon () is a given name, from the Hebrew ( Biblical ''Šimʿon'', Tiberian ''Šimʿôn''), usually transliterated as Shimon. In Greek it is written Συμεών, hence the Latinized spelling Symeon.

Meaning

The name is derived from Simeon, son of

Jacob Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam ...

and

Leah Leah ''La'ya;'' from (; ) appears in the Hebrew Bible as one of the two wives of the Biblical patriarch Jacob. Leah was Jacob's first wife, and the older sister of his second (and favored) wife Rachel. She is the mother of Jacob's first son ...

, patriarch of the Tribe of Simeon. The text of

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book o ...

(29:33) argues that the name of ''Simeon'' refers to Leah's belief that

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

had heard that she was hated by Jacob, in the sense of not being as favoured as Rachel. Implying a derivation from the

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

term ''shama on'', meaning "he has heard"; this is a similar etymology as the Torah gives for the theophoric name '' Ishmael'' ("God has heard"; Genesis 16:11), on the basis of which it has been argued that the tribe of Simeon may originally have been an Ishmaelite group (Cheyne and Black, '' Encyclopaedia Biblica''). Alternatively, Hitzig, W. R. Smith, Stade, and Kerber compared שִׁמְעוֹן ''Šīmə‘ōn'' to Arabic سِمع ''simˤ'' "the offspring of the hyena and the female wolf"; as supports, Smith points to Arabic tribal names ''Simˤ'' "a subdivision of the defenders (the Medinites)" and ''Samˤān'' "a subdivision of Tamim".''Encyclopædia Biblica: Q to Z'', edited by Thomas Kelly Chase
p. 4531
/ref> In classical rabbinical sources, the name is sometimes interpreted as meaning "he who listens o the words of God ( Genesis Rabbah 61:4), and at other times thought to derive from ''sham 'in'', meaning "there is sin", which is argued to be a prophetic reference to Zimri's sexual miscegenation with a Midianite woman, a type of relationship which rabbinical sources regard as sinful (''Jewish Encyclopedia'').

In the Bible

* Simeon (son of Jacob), in the Hebrew Bible * Tribe of Simeon, one of the twelve tribes of Israel * Simeon the Just (3rd century BC?) a Jewish High Priest, also called "Simeon the Righteous" (not the same as the New Testament figure, below) * Simeon (Gospel of Luke), figure in the New Testament who blessed Jesus and his parents in the Jerusalem temple * Simeon Niger, person in the Book of Acts

Persons with the given name

Up to 1700 AD

:''Ordered chronologically.'' * Simeon of Jerusalem (15–14 BC–c. 107 or 117), 2nd Bishop of Jerusalem, perhaps one of the Seventy Apostles sent out by Jesus * Simeon ben Gamliel, Nasi of the Sanhedrin in 50 AD * Simeon ben Gamliel II, Nasi of the Sanhedrin in c. 118 AD * Simeon Bar Kokhba, leader of the Bar Kokhba revolt * Simeon bar Yochai, rabbi of the Tannaim period, possibly the author of the ''Zohar'' * Simeon Stylites (c. 388–459 AD), Christian pillar-hermit from Sisan, Syria * Simeon Stylites III, 5th-century pillar-hermit * Simeon Stylites the Younger (521–597 AD), hermit and pillar-hermit from Antioch *Simeon, the name of one priest and one deacon martyred with Abda and Abdjesus * Simeon the Holy Fool, 6th-century Christian saint and hermit *

Simeon I of Bulgaria Tsar Simeon (also Symeon) I the Great ( cu, цѣсар҄ь Сѷмеѡ́нъ А҃ Вели́къ, cěsarĭ Sỳmeonŭ prĭvŭ Velikŭ bg, цар Симеон I Велики, Simeon I Veliki el, Συμεών Αʹ ὁ Μέγας, Sumeṓn prôto ...

(866–927), Bulgarian tsar * Symeon Metaphrastes (10th century?), Byzantine hagiographer * Symeon the New Theologian (949–1022), Eastern Orthodox saint *

Simeon (abbot) Simeon (died 21 November 1093) was a relative of King William I of England and the brother of Walkelin, Bishop of Winchester.Knowles, et al ''Heads of Religious Houses'' p. 45 It was through his brother's influence that Simeon was made prior of ...

(994–1094), Abbot of Ely Cathedral * Simeon Seth (fl. 1070), Jewish Byzantine physician, writer, and grand chamberlain from Antioch * Simeon of Mantua (died 1016), Armenian monk * Symeon of Durham (died after 1129), English chronicler and monk of Durham Priory * Stefan Nemanja (1113–1199), canonized as Saint Simeon, Serbian ruler and saint of the Serbian Orthodox Church *

Simeon of Moscow Simeon Ivanovich Gordiy (the Proud) (Семён Иванович Гордый in Russian) (7 September 1317 – 27 April 1353) was Prince of Moscow and Grand Prince of Vladimir. Simeon continued his father's policies aimed to increase the power ...

, 14th-century Grand Prince of Moscow * Simeon Uroš, 14th-century ruler of Epirus and Thessaly * Simon of Trent, 15th-century boy supposedly killed by Jews, and formerly a martyr of the Catholic Church *

Patriarch Symeon I of Constantinople Symeon I of Trebizond ( el, ), (? – autumn 1486) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople three times: for a short time in 1466, from 1471 to 1475 and from 1482 to 1486. In 1484 he presided over the Synod of Constantinople of 1484 which re ...

, or Symeon of Trebizond, reigned three times: 1466, 1471–1475 and 1482–1486 * Simeon Bekbulatovich, ''de jure'' Tsar of Russia (1575–1576) *

Symeon of Polotsk Symeon (Simeon) of Polotsk or Symeon Polotsky (russian: Симео́н По́лоцкий; born as ''Samuel Piotrowski-Sitnianowicz'', russian: Самуи́л Петро́вский-Ситнянович; December 12, 1629 – August 25, 1680) was ...

(1629–1680), Russian poet, dramatist, churchman, and enlightener

Since 1700 AD

:''Ordered alphabetically by last name.'' * Semyon Belits-Geiman (born 1945), former Soviet Olympic freestyle swimmer * Semyon Budyonny (1883–1973), Soviet military commander *Simeon Coxe (usually known only as Simeon), American musician, singer and synth player of Silver Apples * Simeon Jocelyn (1799-1879), minister and abolitionist * Simeon Mangiuca (1831–1890), Austro-Hungarian Romanian folklorist *

Simeon V. Marcelo Simeon V. Marcelo (born October 21, 1953) is a Filipino lawyer and was the third Ombudsman of the Philippines. As the Ombudsman, he acted as protector of the people against the illegal and unjust acts of those who are in the public service. He ...

(born 1953), Filipino lawyer and former Ombudsman and Solicitor-General of the Philippines * Simeon North (1765–1852), American gunmaker * Siméon Denis Poisson (1781–1840), French mathematician *

Simeon Rice Simeon James Rice (; born February 24, 1974) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals third overall in the 1996 NFL Draft. In his 12-year NFL career, Rice recorded 122 sacks, forced 25 fumbles, recov ...

(born 1974), American football player *

Simeon Woods Richardson Simeon Woods Richardson (born September 27, 2000) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the United States national baseball team in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Amateur c ...

(born 2000), American professional baseball player * Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (born 1937), Tsar of Bulgaria (1943–1946), prime minister of Bulgaria (2001–2005) * Semyon Sereda (1871–1933), Soviet politician *

Simeon Thomas Simeon Thomas (born September 22, 1993) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at Louisiana and was drafted in the sixth round by the Cleveland Browns in the 2018 NFL Draft. He has also played for the ...

(born 1993), American football player *

Simeon Tienpont Simeon Tienpont (born 20 January 1982) is a Dutch sailor who has competed in multiple Volvo Ocean Races and America's Cups. He first participated in the Volvo Ocean Race in 2005-06 aboard '' ABN Amro II''. Tienpont joined Oracle Team USA for the ...

(born 1982), Dutch sailor * Semyon Varlamov (born 1988), Russian ice hockey player * Simeon S. Willis (1879–1965), American lawyer, judge, and politician from Kentucky

References