Simon

given name · Latin script

Meaning: from the male personal name Simon, from Hebrew Shim'on, probably a derivative of sham'a ‘to hearken’

Recorded as a male name· opposite-gender records fall within measured source noise

/saɪmən/(machine-generated) pronunciation, model-generated

Simon is a given name written in the Latin script, with more bearers in Brazil than in any other country. In Switzerland it is the 41st most common given name.

rarermore common
  • SESweden1 in 250(measured from records)
  • DKDenmark1 in 281
  • GBUnited Kingdom≈1 in 357

carrying the name, as counted by its national register where one exists and as Mondonomo estimates it elsewhere (marked ≈ and "est." on hover). Where a country counts another spelling of the name rather than Simon itself, the figure is that spelling’s, and it is named. One hue, darker where it is more common; hover a country for its figure.

Brazil (measured from records)

323,710 named Simone, 2022

#617 (measured from records)

of 15M given names

5 (measured from records)

recorded for this name

Sources
551 (measured from records)

Highest-authority source

1 in 250 (inferred from the name graph)

Sweden

measured from records inferred from the name graph

Name dossier (print, CSV)

Spellings & scripts(measured from records)

SimonLatin(measured from records)
ՍիմոնArmenian(measured from records)
시몬Hangul(measured from records)
სიმონიGeorgian(measured from records)
ΣιμωνGreek(measured from records)

2 other spellings are counted as the same name:

Locally spelled Šimon in CZ Czechia.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records, and ○ marks a model's transliteration; click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin(measured from records)

from the male personal name Simon, from Hebrew Shim'on, probably a derivative of sham'a ‘to hearken’

Sources 1

  • Encyclopedia of surnames [the complete companion to tracing your names history]

Attested across 5 languages in the etymology graph.

Where in the world(measured from records)

Simon counted together with the spellings and other-language forms grouped with it. Where a register counted another spelling, the row names it.

Sorted by bearers: national registers' counts, and Mondonomo's estimates (≈, est.) where no register counts.

Where Simon is recorded, by country
CountryMost common spellingSources
BR Brazil—323,710as Simone1 in 654340KSimon145
PL Poland—244,933as Szymon1 in 156245KSimon8
NG Nigeria#234≈200,000 est.≈1 in 1.1K—Simon111
GB United Kingdom#50≈180,000 est.≈1 in 357373Simon442
ZA South Africa#45≈90,000 est.≈1 in 625—Simon132
US United States#64168,7801 in 4.8K80KSimon551
SE Sweden#8940,7711 in 25041KSimon157
CZ Czechia—34,6061 in 30935KŠimon5
DK Denmark#5120,8571 in 28121KSimon200
CH Switzerland#41≈20,000 est.≈1 in 4122.7KSimon167

323,710 people counted by IBGE — names by decade (Kaggle mirror), 2022, counting the spelling simone. Exact figures are national registers' own counts, while figures marked ≈ and est. are Mondonomo’s estimates, counted from our sources and calibrated against those registers; hover one for how far to trust it in that country. A dash means neither exists.

Registers cited: Surnames of England and Wales (taliesin-arlein.net, Sept 2002 electoral register); Census Bureau — First Name Frequency 2020 by sex; Census Bureau — Surname Frequency 2010; IBGE — names by decade (Kaggle mirror); IBGE — Nomes (census name API); dane.gov.pl — PESEL given names (first + second name position, 2026-01-20); Skatteverket — Sök hur många som har ett visst namn (living population); MVČR — living population register 2017; Danmarks Statistik — Hvor mange hedder...? (living-population name counts); BFS — Familiennamen der Wohnbevölkerung (surnames). Figures without a register are Mondonomo estimates; see Methodology.

Country figures for a list of names, at full precision, are available under licence rather than by scraping this table (how that works).

Other names spelled this way(inferred from the name graph)

Simon is also recorded as 8 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

  • French given name14 spellings in the group

    Most recorded in France, Canada, Belgium, United Kingdom

    Also written Šimon, Sïmon, Sïmõn, Șimon, Simo-N

  • Hungarian given name14 spellings in the group

    Most recorded in United Kingdom, Hungary, Sweden, United States

    Languages: Hungarian, Finnish, Estonian

    Also written Şimon, Šimon, Simőn, ️simon, Simón

  • Swahili given name4 spellings in the group

    Most recorded in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania

    Languages: Swahili, Southern Sotho

    Also written Simón

  • Russian given name164 spellings in the group

    Most recorded in Russia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, United Kingdom

    Languages: Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian

    Also written Симон, Simeon, Симеон, Шимон, Symon

  • a separate given name6 spellings in the group

    Most recorded in Mexico, India, United States, Ecuador

    Also written Simón, Šimon, Símon, Ś̴̝̪̦́i̸͉̜̖͍͊͜m̷̱̈o̶̖̳̺͖͌͒̑n, S̶i̶m̶o̶n̶

  • a separate name8 spellings in the group

    Also written Şimon, Símon, Šimon, Simón, Șimon

  • Catalan given name2 spellings in the group

    Most recorded in Andorra

    Also written Simón

  • Indonesian given name5 spellings in the group

    Most recorded in Indonesia, Malaysia, United Kingdom, United States

    Languages: Indonesian, Malay

    Also written 'Simon, Šimon, Simón

119 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses(measured from records)

Simon is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

  • Simon the Tanner's willingness to host Peter, and Peter's acceptance, represents a key moment in early Christianity's break from Jewish purity laws. His home became the setting for Peter's divine revelation that the Gospel was intended for Gentiles as well as Jews, symbolizing the breaking down of social and religious barriers and the radical inclusivity of the new faith.

    as a nameBiblical Names Compiled Database

  • In Christian teaching, Simon the Pharisee serves as a literary and theological foil to the repentant sinner, representing self-righteousness, judgmentalism, and a failure to understand the nature of grace and forgiveness. His story is used to illustrate Jesus' teaching that a person's love for God is proportional to the forgiveness they have received.

    as a nameBiblical Names Compiled Database

  • The name Simon is the Greek form of the Hebrew name 'Shimon' (שִׁמְעוֹן), meaning 'he has heard' or 'hearing.' His epithet 'Zelotes' is Greek for 'zealous one.' The parallel title 'the Canaanite' (Kananaios) found in Matthew and Mark derives from the Aramaic word 'qan'an,' which also means 'zealous one,' and is not a reference to the region of Canaan.

    as a nameBiblical Names Compiled Database

  • The biblical account of Simon Magus is the origin of the term 'simony,' which denotes the sin of attempting to buy or sell spiritual gifts, ecclesiastical offices, or sacred things. His story serves as a foundational warning against the commercialization of divine power and emphasizes that God's grace cannot be purchased.

    as a nameBiblical Names Compiled Database

  • Simon is a classic biblical name of Hebrew origin, meaning "to hear" or "listening." It was a very popular name in the time of Jesus and is borne by several New Testament figures, including the Apostle Peter. The name has an enduring, sophisticated quality and is used worldwide.

    as a nameBiblical Names Compiled Database

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Notable people with this name(measured from records)

12001400160018002000Simon de Montfort, b. 1208Martin IV, b. 1220Simon Marius, b. 1573Georg Simon Ohm, b. 1789Leonard Nimoy, b. 1931Pim Fortuyn, b. 1948Simon Baker, b. 1969Simon Pegg, b. 1970Simon Kinberg, b. 1973Simon Kjær, b. 1989
  • Simon de Montfortb. 1208FRAnglo-Norman nobleman who led a rebellion against King Henry III of England (1208-1265)
  • Martin IVb. 1220FRnot in their usual nameHead of the Catholic Church from 1281 to 1285
  • Simon Mariusb. 1573DEGerman astronomer (1573–1624)
  • Georg Simon Ohmb. 1789DEGerman physicist and mathematician
  • Leonard Nimoyb. 1931USnot in their usual nameAmerican actor (1931–2015)
  • Pim Fortuynb. 1948NLnot in their usual nameDutch politician (1948–2002)
  • Simon Bakerb. 1969AUAustralian actor and director (born 1969)
  • Simon Peggb. 1970GBEnglish actor (born 1970)
  • Simon Kinbergb. 1973GBBritish-American screenwriter, film producer and director
  • Simon Kjærb. 1989DKDanish footballer (born 1989)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

How to address them(machine-generated)

InformalHi Simon,

A formal English salutation is built on the surname, so it needs a full name — on its own, a first name only supports the informal form.

Evidence(measured from records)

Attested in 173 sources across 91 countries.

Official registers attesting Simon
CountryRegisterYearCountRank
US United StatesCensus Bureau — First Name Frequency 2020 by sex202068K#744
SE SwedenSkatteverket — Sök hur många som har ett visst namn (living population)—41K#98
SE SwedenSCB — Namnstatistik (to 2023)202031K—
DK DenmarkDanmarks Statistik — Hvor mange hedder...? (living-population name counts)—21K#30
BR BrazilIBGE — names by decade (Kaggle mirror)20223.1K—
BR BrazilIBGE — Censo 2022 Nomes no Brasil per-token lookup (v3 API, given+surname)—3.1K#3,793
CZ CzechiaMVČR — living population register 2017—2K#366
BR BrazilIBGE — Nomes (census name API)—1.9K#6,057
PL Polanddane.gov.pl — PESEL given names (first + second name position, 2026-01-20)20261.9K#366
PL Polanddane.gov.pl — PESEL living persons (names)—1.8K#362
US United StatesCensus Bureau — First Name Frequency 2020 by sex2020437#744
CH SwitzerlandFSO — Vornamen der Neugeborenen und Wohnbevölkerung202481#86

Reference works 12

These works list the name; their figures are licensed and are not reproduced here.

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Simon mean, and where does it come from?
from the male personal name Simon, from Hebrew Shim'on, probably a derivative of sham'a ‘to hearken’ Recorded by Encyclopedia of surnames [the complete companion to tracing your names history].
Is Simon a male or female name?
Simon is recorded for both men and women. We don't publish a percentage split: a record's gender belongs to the person and is attached to every given name on that record, so names in cultures where a name string also carries a parent's or spouse's given name pick up large cross-gender counts.
In which country does Simon have the most bearers?
In Brazil, the national register counted about 324 thousand people named Simone, more than in any other country we hold.
Where is Simon most common?
Measured as a share of residents rather than as a count, Simon is densest in Sweden — about 1 in 250 people — even though Brazil holds more of our records for it.
What are other forms of the name Simon?
In the etymology graph, Simone, Simeon and Simo are forms of the same name in other languages.
How do you pronounce Simon?
A machine transcription gives /saɪmən/ (IPA) for English.
How common is the name Simon?
In the United States, the national register counted 68,780 people named Simon in 2020, about 1 in 4.8 thousand residents.
How common is Simon compared with other names?
In Switzerland, Simon is the 41st most common given name of 38,907 given names recorded there.

What do you want to know about Simon?

Nobody replies to these one by one, but what readers ask decides what these pages answer next.

Please leave out anyone's personal details (see Privacy).

Query this name via API
curl -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY" https://api.mondonomo.ai/api/v1/name-graph/simon

The payload this page is built from: spellings and scripts, countries and languages, related names, and the registers that attest the form. It takes a free API key (1,000 requests a day), which returns what this page shows everyone; the full country table, every register citation and the year-by-year series come with a licensed key, as does bulk access.

About this data

measured from records inferred from the name graph machine-generated

These figures come from the data snapshot of and will change as it is rebuilt.

Statistics are aggregated from the Mondonomo name corpus; related names and etymology are inferred from the name graph; pronunciation and any machine-marked transliterations are model-generated. Read how the numbers are made, including their known failure modes, and where the data comes from.

Reference works we consult — surname dictionaries, official name registers, Wikidata and Wiktionary — are named directly, beside the claims they support. The per-country source counts also include datasets of person records: we publish how many there are and their authority tier, but not their names.

Cite this page Mondonomo, “Simon” — the 41st most common given name in Switzerland. Data snapshot 2026-10-10.

See how Simon parses inside a full name →