Symeon
A Greek origin masculine name meaning "he who hears" or "obedient".
Name Census estimates that about 208 living Americans carry the first name Symeon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Symeon today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Symeon births was 2000 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Symeon. 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
208
~ 1 in 1,647,857 Americans
Peak year
2000
13 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,764
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Symeon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Symeon from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 68 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Symeon remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Symeon 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 Symeon 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 Symeon
The name Symeon has its origins in the Greek language and culture. It derives from the Greek word "semeion," which means "sign" or "mark." The name likely emerged during the Hellenistic period, which spanned from the 4th to 1st centuries BC.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Symeon can be found in the New Testament of the Bible. In the Gospel of Luke, Symeon is mentioned as a devout and righteous man who was awaiting the Messiah's arrival in Jerusalem. This biblical reference suggests that the name was in use during the 1st century AD.
In the early Christian era, Symeon became a popular name among Greek-speaking Christians. Several notable figures from this period bore the name, including Saint Symeon the Stylite (386-459), a Syrian ascetic monk known for living atop a pillar for over 30 years.
Another famous bearer of the name was Symeon the New Theologian (949-1022), a Byzantine Christian monk and poet who played a significant role in reviving the spiritual tradition of hesychasm, a form of contemplative prayer.
During the Middle Ages, the name Symeon was prevalent in various Eastern Christian traditions, particularly in the Orthodox Church. One prominent figure was Symeon of Trier (1028-1035), a German monk and author who wrote extensively on the liturgy and monastic life.
In the Renaissance period, the name Symeon was less common but still in use. One notable individual was Symeon Seth (c. 1049-c. 1123), a Byzantine Christian scholar and philosopher known for his translations of ancient Greek texts and his work on medicine.
Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, Symeon Petlides (1845-1894) was a Greek writer and journalist who contributed significantly to the development of modern Greek literature and the promotion of Greek nationalism.
Throughout history, variations of the name Symeon have been used, such as Simon, Simeon, and Szymon. These variations reflect the name's adaptations across different languages and cultures, while retaining its Greek roots and underlying meaning of "sign" or "mark."
People
Symeon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Symeon 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
Symeon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Symeon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 208 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Symeon 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 1,647,857 US residents.
Is Symeon a common name?
We classify Symeon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 211 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Symeon most popular?
The single biggest year for Symeon was 2000, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Symeon is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Symeon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Symeon 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.