Given name · also Old French
Seán
“God is gracious”
Seán is a masculine given name from Old French, ultimately from Hebrew. It is used in Irish.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Seán goes back to Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (yōḥānān), meaning “God is gracious.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
Seán comes from Old French, and ultimately from Hebrew.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
In Irish usage, Seán developed from the Ancient Greek form Ἰωάννης.
Seán’s family of names
In Irish usage, Seán has a diminutive in Seáinín. Seán shares a linguistic root with John. In Irish usage, Seán has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Juan.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Seán has relatives in 11 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
20 related names in 11 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Shawnvariant · English, Tagalog
- Shaunvariant · English, Tagalog
- Johannesvariant · German
- Shaunavariant · English
- Shawnnavariant · English, French
- Shaunnavariant · English, French
- Seáiníndiminutive · Irish
- Seaghánvariant · Irish
Show 1 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 67
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Jackequivalent
- Johncognate · English
- Ianequivalent
- Giovanniequivalent
- Evanequivalent
- JuanSpanish
- Ivanequivalent
- Gianniequivalent
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- Johnnyequivalent
- Seanderivative · Tagalog, English
- Johanequivalent
- Shaneborrowing · English
- Joanequivalent
- JeanFrench
- Gianequivalent
- Jonequivalent
- HansGerman
- Joaoequivalent
- Giannisequivalent
- Johannequivalent
- JanPolish, Czech
- Eoindoublet · Irish
- Yannisequivalent
- Ioannisequivalent
- Yanniequivalent
- Yiannisequivalent
- Ionequivalent
- Yvanequivalent
- Yannequivalent
- Ivoequivalent
- Giovanequivalent
- Jehansource · Old French
- Ioanequivalent
- Jaanequivalent
- Hannesequivalent
- Iwanequivalent
- Ieuanequivalent
- Ivanoequivalent
- Hannsequivalent
- Frenchequivalent
- Иванequivalent
- Янкаequivalent
- Johannèsequivalent
- Iwoequivalent
- Honzaequivalent
- Jóhannesequivalent
- Jankaequivalent
- Jógvanequivalent
- Иоаннequivalent
- Ivánequivalent
- ジョンJapanese
- Yankaequivalent
- Jóhannequivalent
- Jánosequivalent
- Ioannesequivalent
- Ifanequivalent
- Jóhanequivalent
- Joãoequivalent
- Erwannequivalent
- Xoánequivalent
And 7 more.
People named Seán
- Seán MacBrideIrish politician and human rights activist (1904-1988)
- Seán O'CaseyIrish writer (1880–1964)
- Sean LennonAmerican composer and musician, son of John Lennon and Yoko Onoborn 1975
- JacksepticeyeIrish YouTuberborn 1990
- Seán T. O'Kellysecond President of Ireland (1882-1966)
- Seán Patrick O'MalleyRoman Catholic cardinalborn 1944
- Seán BradyIrish Roman Catholic cardinalborn 1939
- Seán LemassIrish politician (1899-1971)
- Seán Mac DiarmadaIrish revolutionary (1883-1916)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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Cebrail
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