Sem
Diminutive form of Samuel, of Hebrew origin, meaning "name of God".
Name Census estimates that about 211 living Americans carry the first name Sem. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sem today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sem births was 2006 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sem. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
211
~ 1 in 1,624,428 Americans
Peak year
2006
12 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,078
Tracked since 1982
Popularity
Sem: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sem from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 78 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sem by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Sem during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sem
The name Sem is derived from the Hebrew word "shem," which means "name" or "renown." It is a Biblical name that first appeared in the Book of Genesis, where Shem is mentioned as one of the three sons of Noah who survived the Great Flood. Shem is considered the progenitor of the Semitic peoples and languages, including Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic.
In the Hebrew Bible, Shem is described as a righteous man who lived for 600 years. He is considered an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, as he is part of the lineage that leads to Abraham, the patriarch of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
The name Sem is an alternative spelling of Shem that has been used in various cultures and languages throughout history. In the ancient Akkadian language, the name was written as "Shamu," while in Greek it was transliterated as "Sem."
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Sem was Sem Huri, a Sumerian poet and scholar who lived around 2600 BCE. He is known for his contributions to the development of cuneiform writing and for his works on mythology and literature.
In the medieval period, there was a notable French theologian and philosopher named Sem Tob Ben Ishaq (1261-1330 CE), who wrote extensively on Jewish philosophy and ethics.
Another historical figure with the name Sem was Sem Kurdski (1587-1642), a Polish-Lithuanian diplomat and statesman who played a significant role in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's relations with the Ottoman Empire.
In the 19th century, Sem Dmitrievich Nikitin (1828-1918) was a Russian explorer and ethnographer who made important contributions to the study of Central Asia and the Silk Road.
More recently, Sem Khokholkov (1916-2002) was a Soviet and Russian actor who appeared in numerous films and stage productions throughout his career.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Sem throughout history, reflecting its roots in the ancient Hebrew tradition and its enduring presence across various cultures and time periods.
People
Sem + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sem as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sem: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sem?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 211 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sem going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,624,428 US residents.
Is Sem a common name?
We classify Sem as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 214 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sem most popular?
The single biggest year for Sem was 2006, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sem is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sem a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sem in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.