Where does “Simon says” come from?

Simon says (English) comes from English Simon, from Middle English Simon, from Latin Simon, from Ancient Greek Σίμων, from Hebrew שִׁמְעוֹן — Simon; hearkening, listening.

Simon says (English): A children's game where players must carry out only those commands that are preceded by the utterance "Simon says"

Definitions

  1. A children's game where players must carry out only those commands that are preceded by the utterance "Simon says"

Ancestry of “Simon says”, step by step

Simon says traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Simon

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishSimonany of a number of men in the New Testament, notably the original name of Apostle Peter
2Middle EnglishSimon
3LatinSimon
4Ancient GreekΣίμωνSimon or Simo, a common Ancient Greek name held by one of the Telchines and often used as a Greek counterpart to the Hebrew שמעון (cf. Σῠμεών)
5HebrewשִׁמְעוֹןSimon; hearkening, listening

via English says

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsaysThird-person singular simple present indicative...
Every word from Hebrew שִׁמְעוֹן
Simon says — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer