Simon

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Семен in RU Russia, UA Ukraine, KZ Kazakhstan, Szymon in PL Poland, Simoen in FR France and Simeon in BG Bulgaria.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 6 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Simon is also recorded as 7 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• French given name1.1M records spelled Simon35 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, Spain, Canada, Belgium

  Languages: French, Catalan

  Also written Szymon, Šimon, Sïmon, Sïmõn, Șimon

• Finnish given name579K records spelled Simon23 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Finland, Slovenia, Hungary, United Kingdom

  Languages: Finnish, Hungarian, Estonian

  Also written Simeon, Szymon, Sïmön, Šimon, Simòn

• Swahili given name218K records spelled Simon4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, United States

  Languages: Swahili, Southern Sotho

  Also written Simón

• a separate given name77K records spelled Simon6 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Mexico, Norway, United States, United Kingdom

  Also written Simón, Šimon, Símon, Ś̴̝̪̦́i̸͉̜̖͍͊͜m̷̱̈o̶̖̳̺͖͌͒̑n, S̶i̶m̶o̶n̶

• a separate given name74K records spelled Simon8 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, India, Ecuador, United Kingdom

  Also written Šimon, Șimon, Simòn, Şimon, Símon

• Indonesian given name35K records spelled Simon5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Indonesia, Malaysia, United States, United Kingdom

  Languages: Indonesian, Malay

  Also written 'Simon, Simón, Šimon

• Portuguese given name7.8K records spelled Simon41 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Brazil, Thailand, Laos, United States

  Languages: Portuguese, Thai, Spanish

  Also written Saimon, ไซมอน, ไซม่อน, ซีโมน, Saimón

115 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Simon is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• Simon the Tanner's willingness to host Peter, and Peter's acceptance, represents a key moment in early Christianity's break from Jewish purity laws. His home became the setting for Peter's divine revelation that the Gospel was intended for Gentiles as well as Jews, symbolizing the breaking down of social and religious barriers and the radical inclusivity of the new faith.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• In Christian teaching, Simon the Pharisee serves as a literary and theological foil to the repentant sinner, representing self-righteousness, judgmentalism, and a failure to understand the nature of grace and forgiveness. His story is used to illustrate Jesus' teaching that a person's love for God is proportional to the forgiveness they have received.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name Simon is the Greek form of the Hebrew name 'Shimon' (שִׁמְעוֹן), meaning 'he has heard' or 'hearing.' His epithet 'Zelotes' is Greek for 'zealous one.' The parallel title 'the Canaanite' (Kananaios) found in Matthew and Mark derives from the Aramaic word 'qan'an,' which also means 'zealous one,' and is not a reference to the region of Canaan.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The biblical account of Simon Magus is the origin of the term 'simony,' which denotes the sin of attempting to buy or sell spiritual gifts, ecclesiastical offices, or sacred things. His story serves as a foundational warning against the commercialization of divine power and emphasizes that God's grace cannot be purchased.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• Simon is a classic biblical name of Hebrew origin, meaning "to hear" or "listening." It was a very popular name in the time of Jesus and is borne by several New Testament figures, including the Apostle Peter. The name has an enduring, sophisticated quality and is used worldwide.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 146 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Simon de Montfortb. 1208FRAnglo-Norman nobleman who led a rebellion against King Henry III of England (1208-1265)
• Martin IVb. 1220FRnot in their usual nameHead of the Catholic Church from 1281 to 1285
• Simon Mariusb. 1573DEGerman astronomer (1573–1624)
• Georg Simon Ohmb. 1789DEGerman physicist and mathematician
• Leonard Nimoyb. 1931USnot in their usual nameAmerican actor (1931–2015)
• Pim Fortuynb. 1948NLnot in their usual nameDutch politician (1948–2002)
• Simon Bakerb. 1969AUAustralian actor and director (born 1969)
• Simon Peggb. 1970GBEnglish actor (born 1970)
• Simon Kinbergb. 1973GBBritish-American screenwriter, film producer and director
• Simon Kjærb. 1989DKDanish footballer (born 1989)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 2,390 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Simon?

We estimate roughly 989 thousand people bear Simon (counting its spellings and scripts) across 13 countries in our records.

In which country does Simon have the most bearers?

Simon is most frequently recorded in Russia, where it is most often spelled семен.

Where is Simon most common?

Measured as a share of residents rather than as a count, Simon is densest in Poland — about 1 in 156 people — even though Russia holds more of our records for it.

How common is Simon compared with other names?

In Russia, Simon is the 100th most common given name of 418,751 given names recorded there.

Is Simon a male or female name?

Simon is recorded for both men and women. We don't publish a percentage split: a record's gender belongs to the person and is attached to every given name on that record, so names in cultures where a name string also carries a parent's or spouse's given name pick up large cross-gender counts.

What does the name Simon mean?

Recorded meaning: from the male personal name Simon, from Hebrew Shim'on, probably a derivative of sham'a ‘to hearken’