Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Bulgarian, Serbian
Other Scripts: שִׁםְעוֹן(Ancient Hebrew) Симеон(Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: SIM-ee-ən(English)
From
Συμεών (Symeon), the
Old Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name
Shimʿon (see
Simon 1). In the Old Testament this is the name of the second son of
Jacob and
Leah and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. In the
New Testament the Greek rendering
Σίμων (Simon) is more common, though
Συμεών occurs belonging to a man who blessed the newborn
Jesus. He is recognized as a
saint in most Christian traditions.
This name was also borne by a powerful 10th-century ruler of Bulgaria who expanded the empire to its greatest extent.