Shawn
Shawn was the 682nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 399 babies. Its best year was 1973, when it ranked 27th; the most babies were born in 1971 (12,825). Over the last ten years it has moved down 330 places. More babies were named Shawn in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Sean) God is gracious (Irish form of John) · Irish, Hebrew
- Rank in 2025
- #682 boys, down 230 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 399boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 197112,825 babies
- Total since 1880
- 339,597babies recorded
What does the name Shawn mean?
Shawn 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
Shawn popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 33,055 since 1932, 13 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #682 | 399 |
| 2020 | #452 | 659 |
| 2010 | #236 | 1,476 |
| 2000 | #135 | 2,894 |
| 1990 | #69 | 5,721 |
| 1980 | #47 | 7,698 |
| 1970 | #34 | 10,945 |
| 1960 | #163 | 2,045 |
| 1950 | #508 | 175 |
| 1940 | #2,067 | 13 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Shawn, counting every spelling?
Shawn is a spelling of Sean, a name family that ranked #320 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #682 for Shawn 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 Shawn?
399 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Shawn (0.11 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Shawn 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 21 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Shawn.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Shawn?
About 278,900 people born in the US named Shawn are alive today, with a median age of 46; half are between 35 and 54. That makes Shawn 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.
Shawn by state
How common Shawn was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Maryland (2.3×), Pennsylvania (1.7×), Kentucky (1.7×), Ohio (1.6×), South Carolina (1.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nevada, Colorado, Connecticut.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Shawn: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Shawn, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Shawn
What does Shawn mean?
Shawn 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 Shawn?
Shawn was the 682nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 399 babies. Its best year was 1973, when it ranked 27th; the most babies were born in 1971 (12,825). Over the last ten years it has moved down 330 places. More babies were named Shawn in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Shawn a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Shawn in the US.
Where is Shawn most popular?
In 2021–2025, Shawn was most common in Maryland (0.63 per 1,000 boys), followed by Pennsylvania and Kentucky.