God is gracious, through the Irish Seán and John name tradition.
The reviewed exact-spelling entry traces Irish Seán through French, Latin and Greek to Hebrew Yohanan with the gracious gloss. The older gift-from-God gloss is held rather than treated as the same literal translation.
Origin
Irish
Licensed Oddity Software Baby Names Plus database. Cleaned and matched to this spelling; not independently verified. The source label may describe language, region, or tradition rather than a precise linguistic derivation.
Oddity Software · licensed source label.
English pronunciation
/ʃɔːn/
Directly documented English name reading. The guide is approximate; other accents and preferred readings can differ. US readings include SHAWN without the cot–caught merger and SHAHN with it; Irish and Scottish accents also differ.
Recorded English reading, as published. Accents and preferred pronunciations can differ.
Published name usage
Counts apply only to the exact spelling, place, year and recorded usage shown. Places are separate; these figures are never added into a worldwide total. Missing or suppressed records never mean zero.
Latest published record available for this spelling in each place and recorded usage
Place
Year
Recorded usage
Published births
Rank
Notes
Canada
2003
Girls
5
2693
2025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Canada
2025
Boys
40 · preliminary
685
2025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
France
2025
Boys
10 (rounded to 5)
2906
Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published.
England & Wales
2025
Boys
61
615
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Northern Ireland
2025
Boys
35
67
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Scotland
1992
Girls
3
641
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Scotland
2025
Boys
18
226
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Ireland
2025
Boys
38
141
Names below three occurrences are unpublished. Accent recording changed in 2018; comparisons across that boundary may not describe the same spelling coverage. Counts refer to registrations in the year. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
United States
2025
Girls
7
11932
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.
United States
2025
Boys
616
489
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.
Canada, Ireland and France coverage includes confidently matched existing profiles only; unmatched spellings are awaiting review. French counts are rounded to five.
Sources & notes
Open an entry for its source, credit, licence and full qualifications. Different name traditions remain separate.
Meaning: God is gracious, through the Irish Seán and John name tradition.
Checked against cited source
The reviewed exact-spelling entry traces Irish Seán through French, Latin and Greek to Hebrew Yohanan with the gracious gloss. The older gift-from-God gloss is held rather than treated as the same literal translation.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin: Irish
Oddity Software · licensed source
Licensed Oddity Software Baby Names Plus database. Cleaned and matched to this spelling; not independently verified. The source label may describe language, region, or tradition rather than a precise linguistic derivation.
Licensed publication use; not an open-data license
English pronunciation: /ʃɔːn/
Checked against cited source
Directly documented English name reading. The guide is approximate; other accents and preferred readings can differ. US readings include SHAWN without the cot–caught merger and SHAHN with it; Irish and Scottish accents also differ.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Related name: Shane
Checked against cited source
Related English forms with a shared linguistic source; not interchangeable spellings or a nickname claim. Popularity counts remain separate.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Syllables: 1 (these documented English readings)
Checked against cited source
Directly documented English name reading. The guide is approximate; other accents and preferred readings can differ. US readings include SHAWN without the cot–caught merger and SHAHN with it; Irish and Scottish accents also differ.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Spelling variant: Shaun
Checked against cited source
Explicit alternative form in the reviewed English name entry. Each spelling retains separate statistics and may have additional histories.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Spelling variant: Shawn
Checked against cited source
Relationship explicitly documented in the reviewed English given-name section. Spelling-specific counts remain separate.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Spelling variant: Shon
Checked against cited source
Explicit alternative form in the reviewed English name entry. Each spelling retains separate statistics and may have additional histories.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Spelling variant: Shone
Checked against cited source
Explicit alternative form in the reviewed English name entry. Each spelling retains separate statistics and may have additional histories.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.
Credit: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.
License: Statistics Canada Open Licence
Adaptation: Adapted from Statistics Canada, First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators, Table 17-10-0147-01, reference years 1991–2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.
Credit: Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.
License: CC BY 4.0
Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: joined the published count and rank indicators and matched unambiguous existing spellings. Source values retained.
Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.
Credit: Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.
License: Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab)
Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: column names and sex codes mapped and unique case-only spellings matched to existing profiles. Published rounded counts and ranks retained.