Given name & surname · also Gaelic
Shane
“God is gracious”
In English use, Shane carries the interpretation “God is gracious.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Shane carries the interpretation “God is gracious.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
Shane is used as a form of John.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1933. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Shane through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 196,166
- 192,583 boys · 3,583 girls
- Most popular year
- 1973
- 5,931 babies
- 2025
- 439
- #636 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −37%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 439 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 636 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 37.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 5,710 in 1973. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (56). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 167,539 as a first name in 2020; 6,661 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.
Shane’s family of names
In English usage, Shane shares an earlier linguistic root with Sean. Shane is a form of John. In Irish usage, Shane has a conventional equivalent in the French form Jean.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Shane has relatives in 6 languages. Lines run from its English roots to each of them.
Englishwhere Shane comes from · 32 names
Nicknames & forms 10
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Johannesvariant · German, English
- Shaynevariant
- Shainvariant
- Shaynvariant
- Shannelikely variant
- Shainevariant
- Shaenvariant
- Seaghanvariant
Show 2 moreShow fewer
Across languages 32
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Jackdoublet · English
- Johndoublet · English
- Iandoublet · English
- Giovannidoublet · English
- Evandoublet · English
- Ivandoublet · English
- Janedoublet · English
- Joannadoublet · English
Show 24 moreShow fewer
- Seandoublet · English
- Johandoublet · English
- Joandoublet · English
- Shawndoublet · English
- Johannadoublet · English
- Jeandoublet · French, English
- Ivanadoublet · English
- Janadoublet · English
- Juanadoublet · English
- Siobhandoublet · English
- Johanndoublet · English
- Shaundoublet · English
- Janicedoublet · English
- Joannedoublet · English
- Siandoublet · English
- Jeannedoublet · English
- Sheenadoublet · English
- Shaunadoublet · English
- Janisdoublet · English
- Shawnadoublet · English
- Jehanroot · Old French
- Shavonnedoublet · English
- Jendoublet · English
- Seánsource · Irish
People named Shane
- Shane LongIrish association football playerborn 1987
- Shane DawsonAmerican Internet personality (born 1988)
- Shane WarneAustralian cricketer (1969–2022)
- Shane WestAmerican actor, musician and songwriterborn 1978
- Shane BlackAmerican actor, screenwriter and film directorborn 1961
- Shane SmeltzNew Zealand footballerborn 1981
- Shane McMahonAmerican businessman and professional wrestlerborn 1970
- Shane DuffyIrish association football playerborn 1992
- SombrAmerican singer-songwriterborn 2005
Characters named Shane: Shane Walsh (The Walking Dead universe), Shane McCutcheon (the television series The L Word).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Shane, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Wade
“to cross the river ford”
>99% boys
Vance
“from the marshland”
>99% boys
Scott
“a man from Scotland”
>99% boys
Chad
“one who is warlike”
>99% boys
Shelton
“from the farm on the ledge”
>99% boys
Heath
“from the untended land of flowering shrubs”
>99% boys
Tyrone
“from Owen's land”
>99% boys
Brian
“noble” · “of noble birth”
>99% boys