"Semaan (Syriac Aramaic: \u072B\u0721\u0725\u0718\u0722 ; Arabic: \u0633\u0645\u0639\u0627\u0646, Sem\u02BB\u0101n) (also spelled Sem'an, Sem\u00E1n, 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 \u201Cto hear\u201D; thus, the meaning of Semaan becomes \u201Cthe one who hears or listens\u201D in both Syriac Aramaic and Arabic."@en .