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

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

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 f ...

of the Vasconic area. It is based on the

root ''seme < senbe'' 'son' as found in the ancient

Aquitanian Aquitanian may refer to: *Aquitanian (stage), a geological age, the first stage of the Miocene Epoch *Aquitanian language, an ancient language spoken in the region later known as Gascony *Aquitani (or Aquitanians), were a people living in what is n ...

name ''Sembetten'', attested form "sehi" as 'child', hypothetical ancient root *seni (cf.

Koldo Mitxelena Koldo Mitxelena Elissalt () (also known as ''Luis Michelena''; 20 August 1915, Errenteria, Gipuzkoa – 11 October 1987, San Sebastián) was an eminent Spanish Basque linguist. He taught in the Department of Philology at the University of th ...

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 Books of the Bible, biblical narrative, as in the case of Nabal, a foolish man whose name means "fool". Names in the Bible can represent human hopes, d ...

Šim’ōn (

Simon Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

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

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

and

Tarraconensis Hispania Tarraconensis was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania. It encompassed much of the northern, eastern and central territories of modern Spain along with modern northern Portugal. Southern Spain, the region now called Andalusia, was t ...

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 was a duchy located in present-day southwestern France and northeastern Spain, an area encompassing the modern region of Gascony. The Duchy of Gascony, then known as ''Wasconia'', was originally a Frankis ...

(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 () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...

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 ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

and the new ruler of the Islamic Iberian realm,

Abd al-Rahman I Abd al-Rahman ibn Mu'awiya ibn Hisham (; 7 March 731 – 30 September 788), commonly known as Abd al-Rahman I, was the founder and first emir of the Emirate of Córdoba, ruling from 756 to 788. He established the Umayyad dynasty in al-Andalus, ...

. Other than these early medieval examples, the name is known on both sides of the

in the following forms: *''Semyon'' 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 is the Spanish female version of the given name Jimeno. The French rendering of the name is Chimène. It has come to be viewed as a form of the name Simone, though their origins are distinct. A variant is Ximena. People with the nam ...

'' (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 (more specifically an avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic. Patronymics are used, ...

s: * Portuguese: Ximenes *

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: Ximénez, Giménez, Jiménez

Cyrillic transliteration

Semen is also a transliteration of the Ukrainian given name and an alternate transliteration of the

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

given name (more often transliterated as ''Semyon''); both words (along with an etymologically cognate Ukrainian name —

Symon Symon is both a surname and given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Don Symon (born 1960), New Zealand Olympic rower * Josiah Symon (1846–1934), Scottish-Australian lawyer and politician * Keith Symon (1920–2013), American ...

and an etymologically cognate Russian name —

) derive from a biblical name Simeon/Symeon. Notable persons with that name include: *

Semen Altman Semen Yosypovych Altman (, born 21 April 1946) is a Ukrainian football coach and former goalkeeper. He is of Jewish ancestry. Semen's son, Hennadiy Altman is also a goalkeeper and has followed his father to many of the teams Semen has coache ...

(born 1946), Ukrainian football coach *

Semyon Bogdanov Semyon Ilyich Bogdanov (; – 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 of the 5th Army (1941–1942), commander of the ...

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

Semyon Frank Semyon Lyudvigovich Frank (; 28 January 1877 – 10 December 1950) was a Russian philosopher. Born into a Jewish family, he became an Orthodox Christian in 1912. In 1922 he was expelled from Soviet Russia and lived in Berlin. In 1933 he was r ...

(1877–1950), Russian philosopher *

Semen Hulak-Artemovsky Semen Stepanovych Hulak-Artemovsky (, also referred to as Semyon Gulak-Artemovsky and Artemovs’kyj) ( – ), was an opera composer, baritone, actor, dramatist and pioneer of Ukrainian theatre who worked in Imperial Russia. He is known mainly ...

(1813–1873), Ukrainian opera composer, singer, actor, and dramatist working in Imperial Russia *

Semyon Kirsanov Semyon Isaakovich Kirsanov (; – 10 December 1972) was a Soviet and Russian poet and journalist. Biography Still in his teens, Kirsanov was the organizing force in his native Odessa in 1921 behind the Southern Association of Futurists. In ...

(1906–1972), Ukrainian poet in Russia *

Semyon Korsakov Semyon Nikolayevich Korsakov (; – ) was a Russian government official, noted both as a homeopath and an inventor who was involved with an early version of information technology. Biography Korsakov was born in 1787 in Kherson, Russian Empi ...

(1787–1853 OS), inventor who was involved with an early version of information technology *

Semen Paliy Semyon Paliy or Semen Palii (, , ) (early 1640s – 24 January / 13 May 1710) was a Zaporozhian Cossack polkovnyk (colonel). Paliy was compared to Ivan Sirko due to his exploits against Crimean Tatars and Ottoman Turks. Origin Semyon Paliy ...

(c. 1645–1710), Ukrainian Cossack polkovnyk (colonel) *

Semen Pavlichenko Semen Aleksandrovich Pavlichenko (; born 11 May 1991) is a Russian luger. He competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics and 2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics (), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and also known as Pye ...

(born 1991), Russian luger *

Semen Semenchenko Semen Ihorovych Semenchenko (; born 6 June 1974) is a former deputy to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on National Security and Defence and the commander-founder of the Donbas ...

(born 1974), Ukrainian politician and military commander *

Semyon Timoshenko Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko (; ; – 31 March 1970) was a Soviet military commander, Marshal of the Soviet Union, and one of the most prominent Red Army commanders during the Second World War. Born to a Ukrainian family in Bessarabia, ...

(1895–1970), Soviet military commander *

Semyon 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. In 1936 ...

(1899–1967), Soviet Marshal of the Air Force * Semen Zhivago (1807–1863), Russian painter

Sources

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