Shimon
Shimon was the 963rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 241 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 915th with 255 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 174 places. More babies were named Shimon in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning he has heard · Hebrew
Say it shee-MOHN /ʃiˈmoʊn/
- Rank in 2025
- #963 boys, up 58 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 241boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2024255 babies
- Total since 1880
- 5,492babies recorded
What does the name Shimon mean?
Shimon is the Hebrew form of Simeon and Simon, שִׁמְעוֹן. In Genesis 29:33 Leah names her second son Shimon because the Lord has heard that she was unloved, linking the name with the verb shama 'to hear'. Wiktionary gives this traditional derivation and reports that some 19th-century scholars proposed a different origin. DMNES notes that the Greek name Simon may have been used in the New Testament to render the same Hebrew name.
שִׁמְעוֹן (Biblical Hebrew, “Simeon”)שָׁמַע (Biblical Hebrew, “to hear”)
How sure is this? Probable. The 'hear' derivation is traditional and widely accepted; alternatives have been proposed.
Related names: Simeon, Simon, Shim.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Shimon', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'שמעון' (Hebrew section), Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Hebrew Bible, Genesis 29:33, Hebrew text with JPS translation (via Sefaria), Sefaria
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Simon', DMNES, Durham University
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Shimon popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #963 | 241 |
| 2020 | #1,021 | 204 |
| 2010 | #1,162 | 159 |
| 2000 | #1,406 | 89 |
| 1990 | #1,559 | 54 |
| 1980 | #2,046 | 27 |
| 1970 | #2,494 | 15 |
| 1960 | #3,992 | 6 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Shimon, counting every spelling?
Shimon has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #927 for boys in 2025, against #963 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Shimon?
241 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Shimon (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Shimon born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 35 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Shimon.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Shimon?
About 5,400 people born in the US named Shimon are alive today, with a median age of 14; half are between 7 and 25. That makes Shimon mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Shimon by state
How common Shimon was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New York (14.0×), New Jersey (10.1×). In 47 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Shimon: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Shimon, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Shimon · Sibling names for Shimon
Questions about the name Shimon
What does Shimon mean?
Shimon means “he has heard” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Shimon?
Shimon was the 963rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 241 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 915th with 255 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 174 places. More babies were named Shimon in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Shimon a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Shimon in the US.
Where is Shimon most popular?
In 2021–2025, Shimon was most common in New York (1.80 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Jersey and Florida.