Shawn
Shawn is a unisex given name, an anglicized spelling of the Irish name Seán. Alternate spellings include Shawne, Shaun, Shon and Sean.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Shawn
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Shawn is a unisex given name, an anglicized spelling of the Irish name Seán. Alternate spellings include Shawne, Shaun, Shon and Sean.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Shawn
As a girl name
The earliest SSA record of Shawn as a girl name dates back to 1932, when 5 babies received it. 1970 was its biggest year on record, with 1,971 newborns named Shawn — #168 in the national rankings. About 40% of every Shawn on record arrived during the 1960s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Shawn ranks #7,577 for girls with 14 births, gradually rising (+10%). All told, over 33K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1930s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Shawn as a boy name dates back to 1931, when 6 babies received it. 1971 was its biggest year on record, with 12,825 newborns named Shawn — #28 in the national rankings. About 34% of every Shawn on record arrived during the 1970s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Shawn ranks #724 for boys with 371 births, falling sharply (-40%). All told, over 307K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1930s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Shawn
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Shawn. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Shawn
Phonetically similar names — useful when Shawn 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 Shawn
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In which U.S. states is Shawn most popular?
Is Shawn a unisex name?
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About the name Shawn
Shawn is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1931 and has accumulated 307K births in the dataset. Shawn's peak popularity came in 1971 when it ranked #27. Use the chart and map above to compare Shawn's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1971 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- Names starting with "S" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.