Semei as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Semei

What is the meaning of the name Semei ?

The baby name Semei is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced seh-MAY,seh-MAY-ee.

Semei is Hebrew in Origin.

Semei is a biblical male name, a Greek-to-Latin transliteration of Hebrew Shimʿi (שִׁמְעִי). It comes from the Semitic root š-m-ʿ “to hear,” yielding meanings such as “my hearing,” “hearkening,” or simply “one who hears.” The Septuagint records it as Σεμεΐ (Semeï).

Several men in the Hebrew Bible bear the name, including the Benjamite who cursed King David (2 Samuel 16), which kept Semei alive in Jewish and Christian tradition. Its passage through the Septuagint and Vulgate shaped medieval and early modern spellings. Usage is uncommon today but appears in Spanish as Semeí, Portuguese as Simei, and Slavonic/Russian as Semey (Семей). English typically uses Shimei; other forms include Shimi. Related names from the same hearing-root include Simeon/Shimon. Semei suits parents drawn to compact, antique scriptural names with an attentive, “listening” meaning.

⚙ Semei is a rare name. It doesn't appear in any of the major national birth registries we track; we found only 42 recorded uses across 14 countries. Expect very few children to share this name.