Semion
A variant form of the name Simon of Greek origin meaning "he who hears".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Semion. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Semion today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Semion births was 2015 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Semion. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Semion. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2015
5 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2015 SSA rank
#13,712
Tracked since 2015
Census
Semion in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 153 people with the first name Semion, which placed it at #44,840 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#44,840
National first-name rank
People counted
153
153 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
68.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Semion
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Semion is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Semion described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Semion at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.6% · 105
- Black or African American19.6% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.2% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 7
- Two or more races2.0% · 3
Popularity
Semion: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Semion 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 Semion during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Semion
The name Semion has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, deriving from the biblical name Simeon. Semion is the Russian form of this ancient name, which dates back to biblical times and the Old Testament. The name Simeon is believed to come from the Hebrew word "shama," meaning "to hear" or "to listen."
In the Book of Genesis, Simeon was one of the twelve sons of Jacob, who would later become the progenitors of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The name Simeon is mentioned numerous times throughout the Hebrew Bible, including in the books of Exodus, Numbers, and Chronicles.
The earliest recorded use of the name Semion can be traced back to the 10th century, when it appeared in ancient Russian chronicles and documents. During this time, the name was primarily associated with the Russian Orthodox Church and was often given to clergymen and monks.
One of the most famous historical figures with the name Semion was Semion Desnitsky, a Russian Orthodox Metropolitan who lived from 1740 to 1827. He played a significant role in the Russian Orthodox Church and was known for his efforts to promote education and enlightenment.
Another notable figure was Semion Budyonny, a Soviet military commander who lived from 1883 to 1973. He was a prominent figure during the Russian Civil War and later served as a Marshal of the Soviet Union during World War II.
In the realm of literature, Semion Nadson, a Russian poet who lived from 1862 to 1887, is remembered for his lyrical and melancholic works that explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition.
The name Semion was also borne by Semion Mogilevich, a notorious Russian criminal who was born in 1946 and is believed to be one of the leaders of the Russian Mafia. He has been accused of various crimes, including fraud, money laundering, and trafficking.
Another notable figure with the name Semion was Semion Kosberg, a Russian-American painter and sculptor who lived from 1903 to 1965. He was known for his abstract expressionist works and was a prominent figure in the New York art scene during the mid-20th century.
While the name Semion has its roots in Hebrew and biblical tradition, it has become closely associated with Russian culture and history, with many notable figures bearing this name throughout the centuries.
People
Semion + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Semion 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
Semion: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Semion?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Semion 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Semion a common name?
We classify Semion as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Semion most popular?
The single biggest year for Semion was 2015, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Semion is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Semion in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 153 people with the name Semion, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #44,840 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Semion in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Semion?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Semion appears almost entirely male. Of the 151 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Semion?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Semion is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Semion most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Semion in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.6% (105 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Semion in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Semion a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Semion 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.
Is Semion still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Semion in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Semion can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How common is the name Semion?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Semion at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.