Sean
Sean was the 489th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 616 babies. Its best year was 1972, when it ranked 33rd; the most babies were born in 1990 (12,018). Over the last ten years it has moved down 279 places. More babies were named Sean in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning God is gracious (Irish form of John) · Irish, Hebrew
Say it SHAWN /ʃɔn/
- Rank in 2025
- #489 boys, down 155 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 616boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 199012,018 babies
- Total since 1880
- 426,606babies recorded
What does the name Sean mean?
Sean is the English spelling of Irish Seán, the Irish form of John. Wiktionary traces Seán to Anglo-Norman Jehan, and so back through Latin and Greek to Hebrew Yohanan, "God is gracious"; DMNES gives the same root under John. The Random House dictionary also calls it a form of John. Shaun and Shawn are later spellings.
Seán (Irish, “John”)יוֹחָנָן (Biblical Hebrew, “God is gracious”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Pronunciation: Irish spelling: Sean is said like 'Shawn'.
Related names: Shawn, Shaun, Shane, John, Ian.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God, names that mean grace.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Sean', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'John', DMNES, Durham University
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Sean', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Sean popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 2,969 since 1939, 7 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #489 | 616 |
| 2020 | #334 | 976 |
| 2010 | #102 | 3,743 |
| 2000 | #57 | 7,316 |
| 1990 | #37 | 12,018 |
| 1980 | #48 | 7,596 |
| 1970 | #37 | 10,341 |
| 1960 | #202 | 1,421 |
| 1950 | #536 | 162 |
| 1940 | #1,128 | 35 |
| 1930 | #3,541 | 7 |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Sean, counting every spelling?
Sean is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #320 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #489 for Sean on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,094 boys in 2025.
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Sean?
616 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Sean (0.17 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Sean born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 14 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Sean.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Sean?
About 394,000 people born in the US named Sean are alive today, with a median age of 38; half are between 28 and 50. That makes Sean mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Sean by state
How common Sean was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Massachusetts (2.4×), New Jersey (2.2×), Connecticut (2.0×), Maryland (1.9×), New York (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Sean: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Sean, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Sean · Sibling names for Sean
Questions about the name Sean
What does Sean mean?
Sean means “God is gracious (Irish form of John)” (Irish, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Sean?
Sean was the 489th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 616 babies. Its best year was 1972, when it ranked 33rd; the most babies were born in 1990 (12,018). Over the last ten years it has moved down 279 places. More babies were named Sean in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Sean a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Sean in the US.
Where is Sean most popular?
In 2021–2025, Sean was most common in Massachusetts (1.06 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Jersey and Connecticut.