Sean
Sean is the Irish form of John, derived from the Hebrew name Yohanan meaning 'God is gracious.' It became popular outside Ireland in the 20th century and maintains a strong Celtic identity while feeling accessible and modern.
Current Popularity
Popularity over time
Dashed bar: 2026 (projected): 573. How this is calculated
Yearly values
- 2011: 3,192
- 2012: 2,777
- 2013: 2,203
- 2014: 2,125
- 2015: 1,895
- 2016: 1,671
- 2017: 1,481
- 2018: 1,325
- 2019: 1,128
- 2020: 976
- 2021: 900
- 2022: 803
- 2023: 741
- 2024: 730
- 2025: 616
- 2026 (projected): 573
Good to Know
- •Pronunciation is 'Shawn' - may require correction from those unfamiliar with Irish names
- •Multiple spellings exist (Shawn, Shaun) but Sean is the traditional Irish version
- •Easy to pronounce once learned, with no common misspellings
- •Works well across cultures while maintaining Irish heritage
- •Multiple spelling variations exist
Similar Names
Famous People
Sean Connery
Actor, original James Bond
Sean Penn
Actor and filmmaker
Sean Combs
Rapper and entrepreneur (P. Diddy)
Sean Astin
Actor (The Lord of the Rings)
Statistics
423,637
Total births since 1880
1990
Peak year
Discovery
Keep browsing
Rising now
Browse trending names
Names that climbed the most between 2020 and 2025.
Always popular
Explore timeless classics
Names that have sat in the top 50 for decades.
For this gender
See all-time favorites
The most common names since 1880, by total births.
Stories
Read famous-name profiles
How well-known people changed the names they carried.
Guides
Browse recent articles
Recent articles on naming trends.