ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1941 First Year 2026 Last Year 1973 Peak Year #677 Peak Rank 4K Total Count 82 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Shane What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Shane is mainly a masculine given name. It is an anglicized version of the Irish name Séaghan/Séan, which itself is cognate to the name John. Shane comes from the way the name Seán is pronounced in the Ulster dialect of the Irish language, as opposed to Shaun or Shawn. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane%5F%28name%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane%5F%28name%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * Irish * English 📖 ## The Story of Shane Shane first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1933, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1973, when 5,711 Shanes were born — ranking #54 that year. As of 2026, Shane ranks #618 for baby boys with 470 births, falling sharply (-31%). In total, more than 193K Shanes have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1930s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Shane Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Shane. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Seán * [Sean](/sean) * [Shaun](/shaun) * [Shawn](/shawn) * [Shayne](/shayne) * [Shon](/shon) 🎶 ## Names that sound like Shane Phonetically similar names — useful when Shane is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Shayne](/shayne) * [Shain](/shain) * [Shaine](/shaine) * [Shine](/shine) * Shame * [Sean](/sean) * [Shin](/shin) * [Sheen](/sheen) * [Shone](/shone) * [Shawn](/shawn) * [Shaun](/shaun) * [Shan](/shan) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Shane What does the name Shane mean? Shane is mainly a masculine given name. It is an anglicized version of the Irish name Séaghan/Séan, which itself is cognate to the name John. Shane comes from the way the name Seán is pronounced in the Ulster dialect of the Irish language, as opposed to Shaun or Shawn. What is the origin of the name Shane? Shane has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Irish, English. How popular is Shane in 2026? In 2026, Shane ranks #618 among boys' names in the U.S., with 470 babies given the name that year. When was Shane most popular? Shane reached its peak popularity in 1973, ranking #54 that year with 5,711 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Shane most popular? Shane has historically been most popular in Montana, Utah, Wyoming. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Shane. Is Shane a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Shane is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name. What names go well with Shane? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Shane include Wesley, Ronnie, Chester. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Shane? Common variants and related forms of Shane include Seán, Sean, Shaun, Shawn, Shayne, Shon. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names [👧KortneyPeak #677](/kortney)[👧AlexandrPeak #677](/alexandr)[👧AugustinePeak #678](/augustine)[👧CretePeak #678](/crete)[👧EleonoraPeak #678](/eleonora)[👧LuisaPeak #678](/luisa)[👧DaniPeak #676](/dani)[👧MilanaPeak #678](/milana) ## About the name Shane Shane is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1933 and has accumulated 193K births in the dataset. Shane's peak popularity came in 1973 when it ranked #54\. Use the chart and map above to compare Shane's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1973 → ](/year/1973) * [ Names of the 1970s → ](/decade/1970s) * [ Names starting with "S" → ](/letter/s) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.