Shawn is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Shawn means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Shawn across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Shawn has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Shawn is a boy name of Hebrew, via Irish origin meaning “God is gracious”. An anglicized spelling of the Irish name Sean, a form of John.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 339,597 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 857 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 175 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 51 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Shawn per year, United States (1931 to 2025). United States peaked in 1971 (14,688/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2007 (52/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1998 (14/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2012 (6/yr).
Shawn has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 1971, when it ranked #42 nationally (given to 14,688 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1970s.
Shaun · Shane · Sheena · Shawna · Shanna · Shana · Shania · Shauna
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