 The name of the Syamzhena originates from Finnic languages and means "moss water" or "water from the swamp".The names of Syamzhensky District and its center, the "selo" of Syamzha (which was established in 1935 by merging a number of villages at the crossing of the Syamzhena by the highway connecting Vologda and Arkhangelsk) are derived from the Syamzhena.The river basin of the Syamzhena comprises the south and the center of Syamzhensky District, as well as the northeastern part of Sokolsky District and minor areas in the west of Totemsky District.