Simon (given name)

Simon is a given name, from Hebrew שִׁמְעוֹן Šimʻôn, meaning "listen" or "hearing".^[1] It is also a classical Greek name, deriving from an adjective meaning "flat-nosed".^{[2]: 232 [3]} In the first century AD, Simon was the most popular male name for Jews in Roman Judea.^[4]

Simon

St. Simon the Zealot, by Peter Paul Rubens (c. 1611), from his Twelve Apostles series at the Museo del Prado, Madrid
Gender	Male
Name day	January 5 (Hungary) May 9 (Eastern Orthodoxy) October 28 (France, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Spain)
Origin
Word/name	The Bible
Meaning	"listen"
Popularity	see popular names

The Hebrew name is Hellenised as Symeon (Ancient Greek: Συμεών) in the Septuagint, and in the New Testament as both Symeon^[5] and, according to most authorities, Simon.^[6]: 58

Simon is one Latinised version of the name, the others being Simeon or Symeon. This practice carried over into English: in the King James Version, the name Simeon Niger is spelt Simeon (Acts 13:1) as is Simeon (Gospel of Luke) (Luke 2:25), while Peter is called Simon (John 1:44).

In other languages

• Ancient Greek: Σίμων (Simon). This name appears in Greek mythology as one of the Telchines. In Greek means "flat-nosed".^[7][3][8][9] Συμεών is the Hellenization of the name found in the Septuagint and parts of the New Testament,^[5] this form continues in use through the mediaeval era, viz. Symeon the New Theologian.
• Albanian: Simon, Simeon
• Amharic: ስምዖን, Smeon
• Arabic: سِمْعَان (Simʻān), شَمْعُون (Šamʻūn)
• Old Aramaic: Šimʻōn (Shim'on)
• Aramaic (middle and modern): ܫܡܥܘܢ (Šëmʻūn, Shem'un or Sëmʻān, Semaan)
• Aragonese: Simón
• Azerbaijani: Şımon
• Basque: Simon or, sometimes, Ximun
• Belarusian: Сымон (Symon), Сямён (Sjamyon)
• Bengali: সাইমন (Saimon), শিমন (Šimon), সিমন (Simon)
• Breton: Simon
• Bulgarian: Симеон (Simeon)
• Catalan: Simó
• Chinese Simplified: 西蒙 (Xīméng), 西门 (Xīmén)
• Chinese Traditional: 西蒙 (Xīméng), 西門 (Xīmén)
• Croatian: Šimun
• Czech: Šimon
• Danish: Simon
• Dutch: Simon, Simeon, Siem
• English: Simon
• Esperanto: Simono
• Estonian: Siimon, Siim, Simon, Siimeon
• Faroese: Símun, Símin, Simona, Mona
• Finnish: Simo, Simon, Simeoni
• French: Simon
• Galician: Simón
• Georgian: სჳმეონ (Swimeon), სჳმონ (Swimon), სიმონ (Simon)
• German: Simon
• Greek: Συμεών (Simeón), Σύμος (Símos)
• Gujarati: સિમોન (Simōna)
• Hebrew: שמעון (Šimʻōn, Shimeon, Shimon)
• Hindi: साइमन (Sā'imana)
• Hmong: Ximoos
• Hungarian: Semjén, Simon
• Icelandic: Símon
• Indonesian: Simon
• Irish: Síomón
• Italian: Simone
• Japanese: サイモン (Saimon), シメオン（Simeon), シモン (Shimon)
• Kannada: ಸೈಮನ್ (Saiman)
• Korean: 시몬 (Simon)
• Latin: Simeonus, Simonis, Symeon
• Latvian: Sīmanis, Sīmans, Simons, Saimons
• Lithuanian: Simonas, Šimonas
• Macedonian: Симон (Simon), Симеон (Simeon)
• Malayalam: ശിമയോൻ (Shimayon), സൈമൺ (Simon), ചുമ്മാർ (Chummar)
• Maltese: Xmun
• Māori: Haimona
• Marathi: सायमन (Sāyman)
• Mongolian: Симон (Simon)
• Nepali: सिमोन (Simōna)
• Norwegian: Simon, Simen
• Occitan: Simon
• Persian: سامان (Saman
• Polish: Szymon
• Portuguese: Simão
• Prekmurje Slovene: Šimon
• Punjabi: ਸ਼ਮਊਨ (Śama'ūna)
• Quechua: Simun
• Romanian: Simion
• Russian: Симон (Simon) - non-native; used for foreign names and canonic Orthodox saints; Семён, Сёма (Semyon)
• Scottish Gaelic: Sim
• Serbian: Симон (Simon), Симеон (Simeon), Симеун (Simeun), Симо (Simo)
• Slovak: Simon, Šimon
• Slovene: Simon
• Spanish: Simón, Jimeno
• Swahili: Simoni
• Swedish: Simon
• Classical Syriac: ܫܡܥܘܢ (Shemon, pronounced [ʃɛmʕon])
• Tamil: சைமன் (Caimaṉ)
• Telugu: సీమెాను (Simonu)
• Thai: ไซมอน (Sai mon)
• Tigrinya: ስምኦን (Simi'on)
• Turkish: Simun, Simon, Şimon
• Ukrainian: Семен (Semen), Симон (Symon)
• Urdu: سائمن
• Vietnamese: Sỹ Minh, Xi Mông
• Welsh: Simwnt, Seimon
• Yiddish: שמעון

Notable people with the given name Simon or Simón

For a comprehensive list see All pages with titles beginning with Simon.

Ancient

• Simon the Shoemaker (5th century BCE), friend of Socrates
• Simon Thassi (r. 141–135 BCE), high priest of Jerusalem and ruler of Judaea
• Simon of Peraea (died 4 BCE), Jewish rebel mentioned by Josephus
• Simon the Zealot, apostle of Jesus
• Simon bar Giora, (died 70 CE), Judean leader in the First Jewish-Roman War
• Simon bar Kokhba,Jewish rebel leader
• Simon bar Yochai,rabbi
• Simon of Bet-Parsaje (died 339), Christian martyred with Mana of Bet-Parsaje
• Simon of Bet-Titta (died 447), Christian martyr

Medieval

• Simeon I of Bulgaria (died 927), tsar of the First Bulgarian Empire
• Simon the Tanner (10th century), Coptic saint
• Simon of Kalocsa (fl. 1108–1142), Hungarian prelate
• Simon (bishop of Transylvania) (fl. 1111–1113), Hungarian prelate
• Simon of Worcester (died 1150), English Bishop of Worcester
• Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester (1208–1265) Leader of the barons against Henry III
• Simon Kacsics (fl. 1212–1228), Hungarian lord
• Simon Kacsics, Count of the Székelys (fl. 1291–1327), Hungarian lord
• Simon of Southwell, canon lawyer and Treasurer of Lichfield Cathedral
• Simon Sudbury (died 1381) English Archbishop and Lord Chancellor
• Simon, Metropolitan of Moscow (died 1512), Russian Orthodox leader

Renaissance to modern

• Simon Abeywickrema (1903–1948), Sri Lankan politician
• Simon Abkarian (born 1962), French actor
• Simon Adingra (born 2002), Ivorian footballer
• Simon Adjei (born 1993), Swedish footballer
• Simon Pardiñas López (born 1987), Spanish dentist
• Simon Ammann (born 1981), Swiss ski jumper
• Simon Amstell (born 1979), English television presenter
• Simon Armitage (born 1963), English poet, playwright and novelist who was appointed Poet Laureate in May 2019
• Simon Appiah Asamoah (born 2002), Ghanaian footballer
• Simon Arora (born 1969), British billionaire businessman
• Simon Aspelin (born 1974), Swedish tennis player
• Simon Baker (born 1969), Australian actor and director
• Simon Barere (1896–1951), Russian-born American pianist
• Simon Baron-Cohen (born 1958), British autism researcher
• Simon Baynes, British politician
• Simon Beckett (born 1960), British journalist and author
• Simon Bengtsson (born 2004), Swedish footballer
• Simon Bening (1483–1561), Flemish miniaturist
• Simon van den Bergh (1819–1907), Dutch margarine manufacturer, founder of Unilever
• Simón Bolívar (1783–1830), Latin American military and political leader
• Simon Bolivar Buckner (1823–1914), American soldier and Governor of Kentucky
• Simon Callow (born 1949), British actor
• Simon Cameron (1799–1889), American politician and Secretary of War
• Simon Carmiggelt (1913–1987), Dutch poet, columnist and satirist
• Simon Chang (designer) (born 1947), Chinese-Canadian fashion designer
• Simon Chang (politician) (Chang San-cheng; born 1954), Premier of the Republic of China
• Simon J. Clark, British protein biochemist
• Simon Conway Morris (born 1951), English palaeontologist
• Simon Coveney (born 1972), Irish government minister
• Simon Cowell (born 1959), British television personality
• Simon Dach (1605–1659), Prussian lyrical poet
• Simon Dallow, New Zealand television journalist
• Simon Davies (disambiguation), several people
• Simon Dobler (born 2006), German trampoline gymnast
• Simon Donaldson (born 1957), English mathematician
• Simon Dring (1945–2021), British journalist and television presenter
• Simon During (born 1950), New Zealand-Australian academic
• Simon Episcopius (1583–1643), Dutch theologian and Remonstrant
• Simon Fairweather (born 1969), Australian archer
• Simon Farine (born 1987), Canadian basketball player
• Simon Fernando Sri Chandrasekera (1829–1908), Sri Lankan Sinhala businessman
• Simon Fisher-Becker (1961–2025), British stage, television and film actor
• Simon Gagné (born 1980), Canadian ice hockey player
• Simon Gallup (born 1960), bassist in English rock band The Cure
• Simon Harris (born 1986), Irish Fine Gael politician, Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael since 2024
• Simon Harris (musician) (born 1962), British music producer
• Simon Helberg (born 1980), American actor, comedian, and musician
• Simon Heslop (born 1987), English footballer
• Simon Jackson, British playwright, filmmaker and poet
• Simon Jolin-Barrette, Canadian lawyer and politician from Quebec
• Simon Joyner (born 1971), American singer-songwriter
• Simon Karam (born 1950), Lebanese lawyer and diplomat
• Simon Katich (born 1976), Australian test cricketer
• Simon Keenlyside (born 1959), British baritone
• Simon Kidane (born 1975), Ethiopian basketball player
• Simon Kuper (born 1969), British author
• Simon Lane (born 1978), British comedian and YouTuber
• Simon Le Bon (born 1958), lead singer of English band Duran Duran
• Simon Lindholm (born 2001), Finnish footballer
• Simon MacCorkindale, British actor
• Simon Madden (born 1957), Australian footballer
• Simon Magalashvili (born 1968), Israeli Olympic judoka
• Simon Maljevac (born 1981), Slovenian politician
• Simon Mann (1952–2025), British Army officer and convicted mercenary
• Simon Marcus (1986), Canadian kickboxer
• Simon van der Meer (1925–2011), Dutch particle physicist and Nobel Laureate
• Simon Mignolet (born 1988), Belgian football player
• Simon Miller, wrestling journalist for WhatCulture and professional wrestler
• Simon Moabi, Motswana MP
• Simon Monjack (1970–2010), British filmmaker
• Simon Neil (born 1979), Scottish guitarist and lead singer of Biffy Clyro
• Simon Oakland (1928–1983), American actor
• Simon Okker (1881–1944), Dutch Olympic fencer killed in Auschwitz
• Simon Pegg (born 1970), English writer and actor
• Simon Poulsen (born 1984), Danish footballer
• Simon Pryce (born 1972), Australian children's lead singer of The Wiggles
• Simon Rex (born 1974), American actor and rapper
• Simon H. Rifkind (1901–1995), American lawyer and judge
• Simon Rosenbaum (baseball) (born 1993), American-Israeli baseball player with Team Israel
• Simon Schama (born 1945), English historian specializing in art, Dutch, and French history
• Simon Sears (born 1984), Danish actor
• Simon Shirley (born 1966), Australian decathlete
• Simon Shnapir (born 1987), American Olympic medalist pair skater
• Simon Singer (born 1941), American world champion American handball player, and radio and television actor
• Simon Sjödin (born 1986), Swedish swimmer
• Simon Skrabb (born 1995), Finnish footballer
• Simon Steel (born 1969), English cricketer
• Simon van der Stel (1639–1712), Dutch Governor of the Cape Colony
• Simon Stepaniak (born 1997), American football player
• Simon Stevin (1548–1620), Netherlandish mathematician, physicist and engineer
• Simon Tahamata (born 1956), Dutch and Belgian footballer
• Simon Terry (1974–2021), British archer
• Simon Townsend (1945–2025), Australian children's show host and producer
• Simon Tong (born 1972), English guitarist and keyboardist formerly of The Verve
• Simon Trpčeski (born 1979), Macedonian pianist
• Simon Vestdijk (1898–1971), Dutch novelist and poet
• Simon Vukčević (born 1986), Montenegrin footballer
• Simon de Vlieger (1601–1653), Dutch designer, draughtsman, and marine painter
• Simon Vroemen (born 1969), Dutch steeplechase runner
• Simon Webbe (born 1978), English singer from Blue
• Simon Weston (born 1961), British soldier who suffered severe burn injuries during the Falklands War
• Simon Wiesenthal (1908–2005), Austrian Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter
• Simon Yam (born 1955), Hong Kong actor/director
• Simeon II of Bulgaria (born 1937), tsar of the Kingdom of Bulgaria

Biblical characters

• Simeon (Hebrew Bible), second son of Jacob and Leah
• Simon Maccabaeus (died 135 BCE), brother of Judas Maccabeus and ruler of Judea
• Simon Peter, better known as Saint Peter, one of the Twelve Apostles
• Simon the Zealot (also called Simon the Canaanite), another of the Twelve Apostles
• Simon the Leper, resident of Bethany visited by Jesus
• Simon the Tanner (New Testament), resident of Joppa with whom Peter stayed on the way to Caesarea to see Cornelius
• Simon of Cyrene, man forced to carry Jesus' cross
• Simon Magus, magician confronted by Saint Peter and namesake of the term "simony"
• Simon (brother of Jesus)

Fictional characters

• Simon Adebisi, a sadistic Nigerian inmate in the HBO drama Oz
• Simon Alvarez, a main character in Soy Luna
• Simon Bar Sinister, main antagonist in the television cartoon Underdog
• Simon Basset, a character in Bridgerton
• Simon de Belleme, a baron and evil sorcerer in the television series Robin of Sherwood
• Simon Belmont, one of the main characters of the video game series Castlevania
• Simon Boccanegra, pirate in a Verdi opera by the same name
• Simon Camden, one of the main characters of television drama 7th Heaven
• Simon P. Chillings, a character who appeared in 5 episodes of The Punky Brewster TV sitcom
• Simon Doyle, played by Simon MacCorkindale in the movie Death on the Nile
• Simon Escher, a recurring villain in the espionage television series Burn Notice
• Simon Gold, an uncle of Sally Gold in Tennessee Williams's Little New Orleans Girl
• Simon Grace, one of the main characters of The Spiderwick Chronicles, by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
• Simon Gruber, antagonist in Die Hard with a Vengeance
• Simon Henriksson, the main protagonist of Cry of Fear
• Simon Kelleher, the victim in Karen McManus's One of Us Is Lying
• Simon Laurent, a character from Infinity Train
• Simon Legree, the antagonist of Uncle Tom's Cabin
• Simon Lewis, one of the protagonists in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
• Simon Lynch, a 9-year-old autistic boy and one of the main characters in the film Mercury Rising
• Sir Simon McDuck, a Disney character who is an ancestor of Scrooge McDuck and Donald Duck
• Simon McKay, genius inventor played by David Rappaport on the CBS television series The Wizard
• Simon Petrikov, more commonly known as the Ice King, a character in the animated television series Adventure Time
• Simon Phoenix, fictional criminal in the 1993 film Demolition Man
• Simon "Ghost" Riley, a popular campaign and playable character appearing in several games from the Call of Duty video game franchise, and the subject of a series of graphic novels
• Simon Seville, a fictional animated character from Alvin and the Chipmunks
• Simon Silver, one of the main characters of Red Lights
• Simon Sinestrari, protagonist of the 1971 film Simon, King of the Witches
• Simon Snow, the main character in Rainbow Rowell's novel Carry On
• Simon Spier, the main character in Becky Albertalli's novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, its follow up Leah on the Offbeat, and film adaptation Love, Simon
• Simon Tam, fictional character from the television series Firefly
• Simon Templar, main character of Leslie Charteris' The Saint novels
• Simon (Gurren Lagann), protagonist of the anime series Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
• Simon (Lord of the Flies), character in Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
• Simon (Trollz), main villain in the television series Trollz
• Simon, a child in the British television programme Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings
• Simon, a child in the Canadian television programme The Secret Railroad
• Simon, an angel in the 1995 film The Prophecy
• Simon, a character from the animated band Prozzäk
• Simon, a character from the television series The Walking Dead, played by Steven Ogg
• Simon, a fictional character from the animated film Wish
• Simple Simon, a character from Simon Says

See also

• Simon (surname)
• Simon (disambiguation)
• Symon
• Sīmanis
• Simpson