Semen / ʂemen/ or Xemen / ʃemen/ is a medieval Basque

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

of the Vasconic area. It is based on the Basque root ''seme < senbe'' 'son' as found in the ancient Aquitanian name ''Sembetten'', attested form "sehi" as 'child', hypothetical ancient root *seni (cf. Koldo Mitxelena and modern form "senide" = 'brother or sister', 'relative'). The explanation by the

Biblical name Names play a variety of roles in the Bible. They sometimes relate to the nominee's role in a biblical narrative The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in C ...

Šim’ōn ( Simon) is less convincing. Some think the name may be a corruption of the later part of the Latin name ''Ma-ximinus'', as there are late Classic records that various individuals with this name were becoming very active as officials and residents in upper Hispania near the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

and Tarraconensis during the last century of the Western Roman Empire, and perhaps into the period of transition from imperial province to independent Kingdom during Visigothic rule. A "Seguin" was attested in Frankish chronicles when referring to the Count of Bordeaux and Duke of

Vasconia The Duchy of Gascony or Duchy of Vasconia ( eu, Baskoniako dukerria; oc, ducat de Gasconha; french: duché de Gascogne, duché de Vasconie) was a duchy located in present-day southwestern France and northeastern Spain, an area encompassing the m ...

(778, 814 and 816). The name is also recorded as Sihiminus, perhaps a rendering of ''Ximinus''. He may have been a local Basque whose family later fled south over the Pyrenees and helped Enneco Arista take over in Pamplona. Arab sources in

Al-Andalus Al-Andalus DIN 31635, translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label=Berber languages, Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, ...

report in 778 a "''Jimeno, the strong''", calling him "''Mothmin al-Akra''". He was a Basque or Hispanic magnate in the upper Ebro territories within the later independent principality of Navarre. This person was possibly related to others near Pamplona in local opposition to both the invading Franks under

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...

and the new ruler of the Islamic Iberian realm, Abd al-Rahman I. Other than these early medieval examples, it is widely known on both sides of the

in the following forms: *''Semen'' or ''Semeno'' fem. ''Semena'' *''Semero'' fem. Semera *''Scemeno'' (in Villabáscones) *''Xemen'' or ''Xemeno'' fem. ''Xemena'' *''Ximeno'' or ''

Jimeno Jimeno (also Gimeno, Ximeno, Chemene, Exemeno) is a given name derived from ''Ximen'',OMAECHEVARRIA, Ignacio, "Nombres propios y apellidos en el País Vasco y sus contornos". ''Homenaje a D. Julio de Urquijo'', volume II, pages 153-175. a variant of ...

'' fem. ''Ximena'' or ''

Jimena Jimena or Ximena is the female version of the given name Jimeno, derived from the Basque ''Semen''. It has come to be viewed as a form of the name Simone, though their origins are distinct. The French rendering of the name is Chimène. It may re ...

'' (French ''Chimène'') By adjunction of the patronymic suffixes '' -ez'' or ''-es'', it produces the Iberian

patronym A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...

s: * Portuguese: Ximenes * Spanish: Ximénez, Giménez, Jiménez

Cyrillic transliteration

Semen is also a transliteration of the Russian given name (''Semyon'', a variant of — Simon) and the

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

given name (''Semen''). Notable persons with that name include: *

Semen Altman Semen Yosypovych Altman ( ua, Семен Йосипович Альтман, born 21 April 1946 in Chuhuiv) is a Ukrainian football coach and former goalkeeper. He is of Jewish ancestry. Semen's son, Hennadiy Altman is also a goalkeeper and has ...

(born 1946), Ukrainian football coach *

Semen Bogdanov Semyon Ilyich Bogdanov (russian: Семён Ильи́ч Богда́нов; – 12 March 1960) was a Soviet Marshal of tank forces, and twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union, he was deputy commander ...

(1894–1960), Soviet Marshal of the Army *

Semen Hulak-Artemovsky Semen Stepanovych Hulak-Artemovsky ( uk, Семен Степанович Гулак-Артемовський, also referred to as Semyon Gulak-Artemovsky and Artemovs’kyj) ( – ), was a Ukrainians, Ukrainian opera composer, singer (baritone), ...

(1813–1873), Ukrainian opera composer, singer, actor, and dramatist *

Semen Kirsanov Semyon Isaakovich Kirsanov (russian: Семён Исаакович Кирсанов; in Odesa – 10 December 1972 in Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian poet and journalist. Still in his teens, Kirsanov was the organizing force in his native Odes ...

(1906–1972), Ukrainian poet in Russia *

Semen Korsakov Semyon Nikolaevich Korsakov (russian: Семён Николаевич Корсаков, ) (14 January 1787 – 1 December 1853 OS) was a Russian government official, noted both as a homeopath and an inventor who was involved with an early vers ...

(1787–1853 OS), inventor who was involved with an early version of information technology * Semen L. Frank (1877–1950), religious philosopher * Semen Paliy (circa 1645–1710), Ukrainian Cossack polkovnyk (colonel) * Semen Pavlichenko (born 1991), Russian luger * Semen Semenchenko (born 1974), Ukrainian politician, founder and former commander of Donbas Battalion * Semen Tymoshenko (1895–1970), Soviet military commander *

Semen Zhavoronkov Semyon Fyodorovich Zhavoronkov (; – 6 June 1967) was an officer of the Soviet Naval Air Force. Zhavoronkov was born in the village of Sidorovskaya, Kostroma Governorate, and from 1910 worked in a textile factory in nearby Vichuga. He was ...

(1899–1967), Soviet Marshal of the Air Force *

Semen Zhivago Semen Afanasyevich Zhivago (russian: Семён Афанасьевич Живаго, 1807–1863) was a Russian historical painter. Biography The son of a merchant from Ryazan, he taught himself how to paint from a young age. In 1826, he presen ...

(1807–1863), Russian painter

Notes and references

Basque Onomastics of the Eighth to Sixteenth Centuries
{{given name Medieval Basque given names Masculine given names