Semon
A variant of Simon, from the Hebrew "Shim'on" meaning "He has heard".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Semon. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 70.6% of registrations being male. The average person named Semon today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Semon births was 1922 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Semon. 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 Semon. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1922
7 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
1926 SSA rank
#4,738
Tracked since 1922
Gender
Gender distribution for Semon
Semon is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 17 total registrations, 12 (70.6%) were male and 5 (29.4%) were female.
Semon as a male name
- Ranked #4,738 in 1926
- 5 male births in 1926
- Peak: 1922 (7 births)
Semon as a female name
- Ranked #11,773 in 1981
- 5 female births in 1981
- Peak: 1981 (5 births)
Popularity
Semon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Semon from the 1920s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 12 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Semon remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Semon 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 Semon 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 Semon
The name Semon has its origins in ancient Hebrew, derived from the word "shemen," which means "oil" or "ointment." It is believed to have emerged during the biblical era, around the first millennium BC, in the region of ancient Israel and the Levant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Semon can be found in the Book of Exodus, where it refers to one of the sons of Hamath, a descendant of Canaan. The name is also mentioned in other ancient Hebrew texts, such as the Talmud and Midrashic literature.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Semon. One of the earliest was Semon ben Yohai, a prominent Jewish rabbi and scholar who lived during the 2nd century AD in ancient Judea. He is renowned for his contributions to the study of the Mishnah and the development of Jewish mysticism.
In the Middle Ages, Semon of Trier was a notable Jewish scholar and physician who lived in Germany during the 12th century. He was known for his expertise in medicine and his contributions to the study of Jewish law and philosophy.
During the Renaissance period, Semon Luzzatto was an Italian Jewish scholar and poet who lived in the 16th century. He was renowned for his Hebrew poetry and his work on Jewish ethics and philosophy.
In the 19th century, Semon Hirsch was a German rabbi and scholar who played a significant role in the development of the Jewish Enlightenment movement. He advocated for the integration of traditional Jewish values with modern secular education.
Another notable figure was Semon Simonov, a Russian playwright and dramatist who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was renowned for his plays that explored social issues and critiqued the Russian aristocracy.
While the name Semon has its roots in ancient Hebrew, it has been adopted and used in various cultures and languages over the centuries, with slight variations in spelling and pronunciation. However, its connection to the concept of "oil" or "ointment" has remained a consistent thread throughout its historical journey.
People
Semon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Semon 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
Semon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Semon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Semon 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 Semon a common name?
We classify Semon 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, 17 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Semon most popular?
The single biggest year for Semon was 1922, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Semon is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Semon a male name?
Yes, 70.6% of people registered as Semon 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.