Shaun
Shaun was the 1956th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 79 babies. Its best year was 1978, when it ranked 52nd with 6,105 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,188 places. More babies were named Shaun in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Sean) God is gracious (Irish form of John) · Irish, Hebrew
- Rank in 2025
- #1,956 boys, down 818 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 79boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19786,105 babies
- Total since 1880
- 73,610babies recorded
What does the name Shaun mean?
Shaun is a spelling of Sean, pronounced the same way, so it shares Sean's meaning and origin.
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.
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
Shaun popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 3,129 since 1945.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,956 | 79 |
| 2020 | #1,138 | 172 |
| 2010 | #483 | 541 |
| 2000 | #355 | 751 |
| 1990 | #225 | 1,354 |
| 1980 | #79 | 3,923 |
| 1970 | #240 | 989 |
| 1960 | #514 | 238 |
| 1950 | #903 | 58 |
| 1940 | #2,458 | 10 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Shaun, counting every spelling?
Shaun is a spelling of Sean, a name family that ranked #320 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,956 for Shaun 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 Shaun?
79 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Shaun (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Shaun 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 106 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Shaun.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Shaun?
About 65,100 people born in the US named Shaun are alive today, with a median age of 44; half are between 34 and 48. That makes Shaun 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.
Shaun by state
How common Shaun was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 35 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Shaun: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Shaun, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Shaun
What does Shaun mean?
Shaun is a spelling of Sean, which means “God is gracious (Irish form of John)” (Irish, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Shaun?
Shaun was the 1956th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 79 babies. Its best year was 1978, when it ranked 52nd with 6,105 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,188 places. More babies were named Shaun in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Shaun a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Shaun in the US.
Where is Shaun most popular?
In 2021–2025, Shaun was most common in Pennsylvania (0.08 per 1,000 boys), followed by Kansas and Washington.