Boy · Tamil
Sembiyan
செம்பியன்Say it SEM-bi-yun
- Meaning
- A Chola king, as a descendant of Sibi Tamil Lexicon, p. 1594
- Say it
- SEM-bi-yun
- Written
- செம்பியன்
- Other spellings
- Sembian, Chembiyan
Sembiyan
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Sembiyan meaning
Sembiyan (செம்பியன்) is a Tamil boy's name.
A Chola king, as a descendant of Sibi
Sembiyan (செம்பியன்) is an old title of the Chola kings. The Tamil Lexicon explains it as 'descendant of Śibi', the legendary king who, in the best-known version of his story, offered his own flesh to save a dove from a pursuing bird of prey; the Cholas claimed him as their ancestor, and Sangam poems such as Puṟanāṉūṟu 228 call them Sembiyar. The Lexicon adds a second sense, an ancient chief counted among the seven great patrons of Tamil tradition. The title survives in names such as Sembiyan Mahadevi, the tenth-century Chola queen and temple builder, and today Sembiyan is chosen by parents who want a name from Tamil history.
Source: Tamil Lexicon, University of Madras (1924–36), p. 1594 · entry cempiyaṉ (செம்பியன்) · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Tamil Lexicon, cempiyaṉ (செம்பியன்), p. 1594 · Wikipedia, Shibi (king) · Wikipedia, Sembiyan Mahadevi
Spellings
Sembiyan · Sembian · Chembiyan