Menno Simons

The Reverend Menno Simons
"Menno Simons from Friesland" 1608 engraving by Christoffel van Sichem
Church	Mennonites
Personal details
Born	1496 Witmarsum, Friesland, Holy Roman Empire
Died	(1561-01-31)31 January 1561 (aged 64 or 65) Wüstenfelde, Duchy of Holstein, Holy Roman Empire
Buried	Bad Oldesloe
Denomination	Catholic (until 1536), Anabaptist (from 1536)
Spouse	Geertruydt Jansdochter
Children	Two daughters, one son
Profession	Catholic priest (until 1536), Anabaptist minister and author (from 1536)

Menno Simons (1496 – 31 January 1561) was a Roman Catholic priest from the Friesland region of the Low Countries who was excommunicated from the Catholic Church and became an influential Anabaptist religious leader. Simons was a contemporary of the Protestant Reformers and it is from his name that his followers became known as Mennonites.

"Menno Simons" (Dutch: [ˈmɛnoː ˈsimɔns]) is the Dutch version of his name; the Frisian version is Minne Simens (West Frisian: [ˈmɪnə ˈsimn̩s]),^[1] the possessive "s" creating a patronym meaning "Minne, son of Simen" (cf. English family names like Williams and Rogers).