Simeon
Masculine · “He has heard”
Simeon is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 9,462 boys against 25 girls since 1880.
Simeon is the form the Greek translators of the Hebrew Bible chose for Shim'on, and it has been carried in that shape ever since — through the Gospel of Luke, through the fifth-century Syrian ascetic Simeon Stylites, through a line of medieval Bulgarian rulers. In the mouth it runs SIM-ee-on, three light syllables that end open rather than snapping shut. It sits one step away from Simon: same root, older dress.
How old is the name Simeon?
Simeon was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Simeon alive today was born around 2002, making them about 23 years old. About 8,100 people named Simeon are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Simeon most popular?
Simeon peaked in 1880, reaching #356 nationally. Today it ranks #1091, 735 places below that high. See the whole 1880 chart.
Where it comes from
From Shim'on to Simeon
The story of Simeon
The name begins as Hebrew Shim'on, borne by the second son of Jacob and Leah and by the tribe descended from him. When Jewish scholars in Alexandria translated the Hebrew scriptures into Greek, they wrote it Symeon, and that spelling passed into Latin and then into the languages of Europe as Simeon, while a shortened Greek form gave the separate, far more common Simon. The Gospel of Luke gives the name to the old man who takes the infant Jesus in his arms in the Temple; in the fifth century Simeon Stylites made it famous across the Christian east; from the ninth century onward Bulgarian rulers wore it. It reached English-speaking countries through scripture rather than through kings, and has been in continuous, quiet use in the United States for as long as national records exist.
Meaning
He has heard, or God has heard
From Hebrew shama, to hear. In Genesis the name is given to Leah's second son with the explanation that God had heard her.
How the name formed
- Shim'on
- Symeon
- Simeon
- Simon
Related forms: Shimon · Symeon · Simeón · Siméon · Semyon · Simon
Pronouncing Simeon
SIM-ee-on
Three syllables, stress on the first. Some speakers soften the ending to SIM-ee-uhn. Both are ordinary; neither needs defending.
Nicknames for Simeon
High
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 2019222 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #356reached in 1880
- Change vs 2022
- +33.1%197 in 2025, from 148
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Simeon in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Shimon in Hebrew — transliteration
- Symeon in Greek — same name
- Simeón in Spanish — spelling variant
- Siméon in French — spelling variant
- Semyon in Russian — related form
- Simon in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, Pennsylvania, California.
Simeons among us
people named Simeon are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 8,670 born in 2025 was named Simeon
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Simeon sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Simeon is headed
Simeon should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Simeon beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Simeon in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A documented line running from Hebrew scripture through Greek and Latin into modern European languages — the spelling has barely moved in two thousand years.
- Familiar on sight to almost anyone, because Simon sits right beside it; no one has to be taught how to read it.
- Travels well: Shimon, Symeon, Simeón, Siméon and Semyon are all the same name in other tongues.
- Established short forms already exist — Sim and Si have been in use for centuries, so a nickname does not have to be invented.
- Common enough to be recognized, uncommon enough that a class is unlikely to hold two.
- It will be heard and written as Simon a great deal, by teachers, doctors and forms. Most Simeons develop a quick, unbothered correction; it is worth expecting rather than resenting.
- The associations are strongly biblical — the tribe of Simeon, the old man in Luke's Temple scene. Families who want that will be glad of it; families who don't should know it travels with the name.
- Three syllables, and the middle one is light, so it can blur into a two-syllable 'SIM-yun' in fast speech. A short surname gives it more room.
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What they receive
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Simeon
Masculine · #1091 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Simeons are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 8,100 people named Simeon are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Simeon in 2025?
- Simeon ranks #1091 among US boy names in 2025, with 197 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Simeon?
- About 1 in every 8,670 US boys born in 2025 was named Simeon — 197 in all.
- Will my child share the name Simeon with classmates?
- Simeon will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Simeon
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Gio#1091 · Rodney#1091 · Rene#1091 · Ayman#1095 · Kingsley#1095 · Kit#1097 · Turner#1097 · Brendan#1097
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Simeon? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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