Simon (given name)
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 |
Simon is a given name, from Hebrew שִׁמְעוֹן Šimʻôn, meaning "listen" or "hearing". It is also a classical Greek name, deriving from an adjective meaning "flat-nosed".: 232 In the first century AD, Simon was the most popular male name for Jews in Roman Judea.
The Hebrew name is Hellenised as Symeon (Ancient Greek: Συμεών) in the Septuagint, and in the New Testament as both Symeon and, according to most authorities, Simon.: 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).