Fun Facts About the Name Shimon
- More than 5 thousand babies named Shimon: U.S. records list 5,482 babies given the name Shimon from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Shimon Mean?
Shimon is a Hebrew masculine name meaning "he has heard." It comes from the Hebrew root sh-m-ʿ (שָׁמַע, shamaʿ), which means "to hear." In the Book of Genesis, Leah names her second son Shimon, saying, "Because the LORD heard that I was unloved" (Genesis 29:33), tying the name to the idea of being heard. The literal sense is "he has heard." A common expanded reading gives the meaning as "God has heard," because the biblical explanation of the name refers to God hearing Leah; that wording is an interpretation built on the verse rather than a direct translation of the Hebrew word.
Shimon Name History & Origins
Shimon is the Hebrew form of the name that appears in English Bibles as Simeon. In the Hebrew Bible, Shimon is the second son of Jacob and Leah and the ancestor of the tribe of Simeon, whose territory lay in the southern part of the land. When the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek, the name was written Symeōn (Συμεών), and that form passed into Latin as Simeon, the source of the English name.
A closely related Greek form, Simōn (Σίμων), appears in the New Testament, borne by several figures, most famously Simon Peter. Both Greek forms trace back to the same Hebrew name, but they entered European languages by different routes and produced two distinct English names, Simeon and Simon. In Jewish usage the Hebrew form Shimon stayed in use over the centuries. It was borne by Shimon the Hasmonean, a leader of the second-century BCE Maccabean revolt, and by the second-century CE figures Shimon bar Kokhba, who led a revolt against Rome, and Shimon bar Yochai, the sage traditionally credited with the Zohar.
In modern Hebrew, Shimon remains a regular given name in Israel, and it is the Hebrew name by which public figures such as Shimon Peres are known.
How Popular is the Name Shimon?
Shimon recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2024. Its best rank was #932 in 2024.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #963 | 241 | 0.0141% |
| 2024 | #932 | 247 | 0.0144% |
| 2023 | #1,010 | 218 | 0.0128% |
| 2022 | #1,119 | 190 | 0.0109% |
| 2021 | #1,052 | 204 | 0.0117% |
| 2020 | #1,021 | 204 | 0.0118% |
| 2019 | #1,091 | 183 | 0.0102% |
| 2018 | #1,055 | 193 | 0.0106% |
| 2017 | #1,098 | 178 | 0.0096% |
| 2016 | #1,076 | 184 | 0.0097% |
| 2015 | #1,137 | 167 | 0.0087% |
| 2014 | #1,125 | 171 | 0.0089% |
| 2013 | #1,166 | 155 | 0.0082% |
| 2012 | #1,118 | 165 | 0.0087% |
| 2011 | #1,077 | 174 | 0.0092% |
| 2010 | #1,162 | 159 | 0.0083% |
| 2009 | #1,048 | 182 | 0.0092% |
| 2008 | #1,316 | 133 | 0.0065% |
| 2007 | #1,325 | 129 | 0.0062% |
| 2006 | #1,292 | 129 | 0.0063% |
| 2005 | #1,301 | 118 | 0.0059% |
| 2004 | #1,354 | 108 | 0.0054% |
| 2003 | #1,389 | 97 | 0.0049% |
| 2002 | #1,555 | 80 | 0.0041% |
| 2001 | #1,305 | 101 | 0.0052% |
| 2000 | #1,406 | 89 | 0.0045% |
| 1999 | #1,572 | 71 | 0.0037% |
| 1998 | #1,661 | 63 | 0.0033% |
| 1997 | #1,385 | 80 | 0.0042% |
| 1996 | #1,442 | 72 | 0.0038% |
| 1995 | #1,391 | 73 | 0.0038% |
| 1994 | #1,513 | 63 | 0.0033% |
| 1993 | #1,823 | 47 | 0.0024% |
| 1992 | #1,636 | 54 | 0.0027% |
| 1991 | #1,861 | 43 | 0.0021% |
| 1990 | #1,559 | 54 | 0.0026% |
| 1989 | #1,701 | 46 | 0.0023% |
| 1988 | #1,789 | 39 | 0.0020% |
| 1987 | #1,732 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 1986 | #1,642 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 1985 | #1,448 | 47 | 0.0025% |
| 1984 | #1,602 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 1983 | #2,776 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1982 | #1,884 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 1981 | #2,405 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1980 | #2,046 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1979 | #2,037 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 1978 | #1,753 | 31 | 0.0019% |
| 1977 | #2,196 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1976 | #2,105 | 23 | 0.0015% |
| 1975 | #1,823 | 27 | 0.0017% |
| 1974 | #2,043 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 1973 | #3,418 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1972 | #2,967 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1971 | #3,330 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1970 | #2,496 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1969 | #2,835 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1968 | #3,329 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1967 | #3,196 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1966 | #3,207 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1965 | #4,354 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #3,249 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1963 | #2,651 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1961 | #2,688 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1960 | #3,994 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #3,247 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1958 | #3,241 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1957 | #3,514 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #3,879 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #3,830 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1954 | #4,295 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1947 | #4,194 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Shimon Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Shimon's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Shimon's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.