Szymon — Name Day, Meaning & Origin

Male Polish given name · rank 12 among male names (2024)

A biblical Polish male name meaning "he who hears", very fashionable today.

Pronunciation

/ˈʂɨ.mɔn/ · SHIH-mawn

Meaning

Szymon is the Polish form of the biblical name Simon, descended from the Hebrew Shimon. It is traditionally interpreted as "he who hears" or "the heard one", from a Hebrew verb meaning "to hear".

Origin & history

The name has biblical roots — it was borne, among others, by Saint Peter, originally called Simon, as well as by other figures of the Old and New Testaments. It reached Poland with Christianity and has been in continuous use since the Middle Ages, ranking in recent years among the trendiest boys' names.

Etymology

It comes from the Hebrew name Shimon, connected with the verb shama — "to hear, to listen". The Polish form Szymon arose through the adaptation of the biblical Simon into Polish.

Declension (Polish cases)

Nominative	Szymon
Genitive	Szymona
Dative	Szymonowi
Accusative	Szymona
Instrumental	Szymonem
Locative	Szymonie
Vocative	Szymonie

Name day (imieniny)

In Poland, Szymon celebrates its name day on 28 October, 18 July, 6 February, 16 May.

Diminutives

Szymek, Szymuś, Szymonek, Szym, Szymcio.

Forms in other languages

Equivalents in other languages include Simon (English, German, French), Simone (Italian), Simón (Spanish), Simeon (Bulgarian) and Semen or Symon (Ukrainian).

Notable people named Szymon

Szymon Piotr — The apostle originally named Simon, by tradition the first pope.

Szymon Askenazy — Eminent Polish historian and diplomat of the turn of the twentieth century.

Szymon Hołownia — Polish commentator and politician, Speaker of the Sejm.

Szymon Marciniak — Polish football referee of international renown.

Popularity

Szymon has for many years been among the most frequently given boys' names in Poland, regularly placing in the top ten.