Shaun: meaning “God is gracious”, origin & popularity

Meaning & origin

What it means

In English use, Shaun is a variant of Sean. In Irish use, Sean carries the interpretation “God is gracious.”

Explained through its name family

Where it comes from

Shaun comes from Irish, and ultimately from Hebrew.

Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)

How it developed

Shaun is used as a spelling variant of Sean.

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1935. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Shaun through the years

Babies since 1880: 73,610; 70,481 boys · 3,129 girls
Most popular year: 1978; 6,221 babies
2025: 79; #1,956 for boys
2021–25 vs 2016–20: −45%; Cooling

Boys Girls

Shaun in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1935–2025, per million births of each sex. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

Boys, girls and both

The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 98% boys.

Boys Girls

Five-year rolling share of U.S. births. Blank stretches had too few births to read.

Where it’s given

Most at home inMissouri, Virginia, Washington

FewerMore, relative to births Not published

2025 births by state of birth. Tiles are equal-sized so small states stay visible. Highest rates: Missouri (5), Virginia (6), Washington (5), Illinois (5), North Carolina (5).

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 79 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,956 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 45.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 6,105 in 1978. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (9). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 64,418 as a first name in 2020; 115 as a surname in 2010.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Shaun’s family of names

In English usage, Shaun shares an earlier linguistic root with John. In English usage, Shaun has a related form in Sean. In Filipino usage, Shaun developed from the English form Sean.

Walk Shaun’s family in the name graph

Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Around the world

Shaun has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.

34 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.

Each dot marks where a language is rooted, not where people with the name live today. Bigger dots hold more names. Language locations from Glottolog (CC BY 4.0); map from Natural Earth.

Nicknames & forms 6

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

Spellings & scripts 1

The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.

Shaughanlikely spelling

People named Shaun

Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.

Similar names

If you love Shaun, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Hebrew

Sibling ideas

Names that share Shaun’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Shaun

A sister for Shaun

Your shortlist

Shaun

Meaning & origin

What it means

Where it comes from

How it developed

The story

Shaun through the years

Boys, girls and both

Where it’s given

By the numbers

Shaun’s family of names

Around the world

Nicknames & forms 6

Spellings & scripts 1

Across languages 29

People named Shaun

Appears in

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Sibling ideas

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