Given name & surname
Sean
“God is gracious”
In Irish use, Sean carries the interpretation “God is gracious.”
Original IrishSeán
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Irish use, Sean carries the interpretation “God is gracious.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Irish.
How it developed
Sean is used as a form of John.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1925. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Sean through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 426,606
- 423,637 boys · 2,969 girls
- Most popular year
- 1990
- 12,070 babies
- 2025
- 623
- #489 for boys · #12,971 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −42%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 616 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 489 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 42.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 12,018 in 1990. It also appeared in 7 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (60). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 377,127 as a first name in 2020; 676 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Sean’s family of names
In English usage, Sean shares an earlier linguistic root with John. In English usage, Sean has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Juan. Sean is a form of John.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Sean has relatives in 15 languages. Lines run from its Irish roots to each of them.
Irishwhere Sean comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 17
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 58
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Seánroot · Irish
- Jackdoublet · English
- Johndoublet · English
- Iandoublet · English
- Giovannidoublet · English
- Evandoublet · English
- Ivandoublet · Tagalog, English
- JuanSpanish
Show 50 moreShow fewer
- Johnnyequivalent
- Johandoublet · English
- Shanedoublet · English
- JoanCatalan
- Jeandoublet · French, English
- Gianequivalent
- Jonequivalent
- Hansequivalent
- Giannisequivalent
- Johanndoublet · German, English
- Janequivalent
- Yannisequivalent
- Ioannisequivalent
- Ionequivalent
- Yannequivalent
- Ivoequivalent
- Jehanroot · Old French
- Ioanequivalent
- Irishoriginal
- Jaanequivalent
- Shuanequivalent
- Seannequivalent
- Ieuanequivalent
- Ivanoequivalent
- Hannsequivalent
- Iwanequivalent
- ШонRussian
- ΓιάννηςGreek
- Jóhannequivalent
- Jánosequivalent
- Ifanequivalent
- Jóhanequivalent
- Joãoequivalent
- Xoánequivalent
- Іванequivalent
- Siônequivalent
- Ioannequivalent
- Joannesequivalent
- Giuànequivalent
- Jónequivalent
- Иванequivalent
- Honzaequivalent
- Jóhannesequivalent
- Jógvanequivalent
- Иоаннequivalent
- SeaninuMaltese
- शॉनHindi
- שׁוֹןHebrew
- ΣονGreek
- 肖恩Mandarin
People named Sean
- Sean PennAmerican actorborn 1960
- Sean CombsAmerican rapper and producerborn 1969
- Sean BeanBritish actor (born 1959)
- Sean AstinAmerican actor (born 1971)
- Sean PaulJamaican dancehall singer and rapper (born 1973)
- Sean HayesAmerican actor (born 1970)
- Sean KingstonAmerican singer (born 1990)
- Sean YoungAmerican actressborn 1959
- Sean BakerAmerican film directorborn 1971
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Sean, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Dillon
“resembling a lion; a faithful man”
89% boys · 11% girls
Desmond
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Kyle
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Cedric
Cedric has an unusually traceable literary beginning: Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe.
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Tristan
Tristan is used as a given name and a surname. One Celtic interpretation is “a sorrowful man; in Arthurian legend, a knight of the Round Table.”
98% boys · 2% girls
Keenan
“a small woman” · “of an ancient family”
>99% boys
Corey
“from the hollow; of the churning waters”
96% boys · 4% girls
Cody
“one who is helpful; a wealthy woman” · “acting as a cushion”
98% boys · 2% girls