Shane
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.
- Irish
- English
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 (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
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
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.
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.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Shane
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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 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- Names starting with "S" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . 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 (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
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.