Semaan (Syriac Aramaic: ܫܡܥܘܢ ; Arabic: سمعان , Semʻān) (also spelled Sem'an, Simaan, Sim'an, Samaan, Sam'an) is one of the oldest Christian surnames in existence and is mainly found in the Levant area of the Middle East. It is derived from the Semitic root word/verb sema or shema, which means “to hear”; thus, the meaning of Semaan becomes “the one who hears or listens” in both Syriac Aramaic and Arabic. Its equivalent in Hebrew is שִׁמְעוֹן (Shimon or Shim'on), which also has the same meaning. The Greek version is Σιμων (Simon) or Συμεών (Symeon), and, when Latinized, it becomes Simon or Simeon.
In the Middle East today, the overwhelming majority of people who hold the Semaan surname is Christian that belongs to early Christian churches such as the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church of Antioch, the Maronite Catholic Church, the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Assyrian Orthodox Church, and the Coptic Orthodox Church. The ethnic origin of Semaan families varies by geographic location, most prevalent of which is Greek-Syrian, descendants of the Byzantine Greek (Rûm) population of the Syrian tetrapolis (Antioch, Seleucia Pieria, Apamea, and Laodicea).
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The Semaans of Antioch and Syria have roots that can be traced back to the early days of Christianity, to 1st century Antioch and Damascus. As Luke the Evangelist, a native of Antioch, writes in Acts of the Apostles, "the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch" (Acts 11:26). Although the majority of Semaans of Syria is of Greek-Syrian and Syriac (Aramaean) origin and known to have come from the north of Syria (Antioch area), however, a very small minority of Ghassanid Christian Arab descent (from the 3rd century) reside in the southern part (Hauran area).[1]
Some Semaans of Antioch claim descent from Saint Peter (Heb: Shimeon Kefa, Syr: Semaan Kefa, Grk: Symeon Kephas, Eng: Simon Peter), the preeminent disciple of Christ. The story is based on oral tradition that claims that Saint Peter, avoiding persecution in his homeland, left his family with the Hellenized Jewish community of Antioch during his seven-year stay in the city before his travel to Rome.[2] Some others claim that they’re related to Saint Simeon Stylites, a popular ascetic Syrian saint during the Byzantine empire.[3]
Antioch’s history of continuous falls and captures by Arabs, Seljuk Turks, Crusaders, and Mamluk Turks led to many Semaans fleeing their native city to neighboring areas in Syria and Lebanon. In 1939, Turkey annexed the Hatay province, which includes Antakya (Antioch), after Syria had control over the territory since the end of World War I.
Today, the Semaans of Syria are scattered throughout, and they live in cities such as Latakia (Laodiceia), Homs (Emesa), Aleppo, and Damascus.
The Semaans of Lebanon can be broken down into four categories:
The Semaans of Israel/Palestine can be broken down geographically as follows:
The Simaans of Jordan are mainly of Ghassanid Christian Arab descent from Yemen who settled in Jordan and southern Syria in the 3rd century. Some Jerusalemite Semaans of Galilean ancestry escaped the violence following the establishment of Israel in 1948 by relocating to Jordan.
The Semaans of Iraq (Mesopotamia) are mainly Chaldeans and Assyrians from Mosul and Tel Keppe, in the north of Iraq, who can trace their ancestry back to the 2nd century. Today, most Semaans of Mosul and Iraq have left, especially after the American-led 2003 invasion of Iraq and the ensuing anti-Christian backlash, to places such as Lebanon, Sweden, and the United States.[11]
The Semaans of Iran (Persia) are mainly Chaldeans from northern Mesopotamia who traveled east and settled in Iran in two waves; the first one was during the 5th century to escape the Greco-Roman persecution of non-Chalcedonian Assyro-Chaldean Christians, and the second one was during the 16th century to escape the Turkish persecution of Christian minorities during the Ottoman Empire. However, today, there are only very few left.[12]
The Semaans of Egypt are Copts and Greek-Egyptian Christians from Alexandria, Aswan, and Cairo. Some can trace their ancestry to 1st century Alexandria, and the establishment of Christianity there by Saint Mark. Today, many Semaans have also immigrated to Western countries.[13]
In the 10th episode of the 2nd season of History Channel's Digging for the Truth titled The Da Vinci Code: Bloodlines, show host Josh Bernstein took DNA test samples from two Semaan family members who belong to the Syriac Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, out of eight total participants. The purpose was to compare the genetic code closest to that of Jesus of Nazareth with that of Merovingian Queen Arégonde.[14]