Ximena

Ximena is an old Spanish and Portuguese female equivalent of the Hebrew biblical name Simon (which means ‘hearkener, listener’). In modern times, the Spanish language has largely abandoned the “X” and replaced it with a “J” (think: Jimena). But back in medieval times, Ximena was in full swing. In fact, this is the name of the wife of El Cid (she would have pronounced Ximena as shee-MEH-nah). El Cid was "The lord, master of military arts" in the 11th century Castilian Kingdom during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. He was instrumental in the fight against the Moors and eventually recaptured the Spanish coastal city of Valѐncia. After his death, his beautiful wife Ximena would rule the city for a few more years until it once again fell to the Muslims. The gorgeous Sophia Loren was cast as Ximena in a 1961 film simply titled “El Cid”. While Jimena has largely replaced Ximena as a more modern version of this name, Ximena seems to be experiencing a strong revival right now. Ximena is currently the 2nd most popular female name in all of Mexico.