Shawn

Meaning: God is gracious
Origin: Hebrew — Variant of Sean, the Irish form of John

Boy's name · #682 in the US (2025) · Retro

Popularity over time

Shawn's best rank, #27, came in 1973; it has stepped well back to #682 today. Roughly 307,000 boys have been named Shawn since 1931.

Across the states

See where Shawn is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 35 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Shawn ranks in other countries and regions.

#547 in Canada (2025) · #1,307 in England & Wales (2025) · #2,004 in Italy (2024) · #2,102 in France (2025) · #2,144 in Sweden (2025) · #3,304 in Austria (2025) · #6,680 in Ecuador (2025) · #727 in Scotland (2024) · #1,391 in Belgium (2020) · #500 in Ireland (2012) · #470 in Puerto Rico (2009) · #440 in New Zealand (2007).

Famous Shawns

Shawn Mendes — Canadian singer (born 1998)
Shawn Michaels — American professional wrestler (born 1965)
Shawn Levy — Canadian-American filmmaker and actor (born 1968)
Shawn Marion — American basketball player (born 1978)
Shawn Ashmore — Canadian actor (born 1979)
Shawn Wayans — American actor and comedian (born 1971)
Shawn Crahan — American percussionist (born 1969)
Shawn Kemp — American basketball player (born 1969)
Shawn Bradley — American basketball player (born 1972)
Shawn Crawford — American sprinter (born 1978)

In stories & tradition

Shawn Spencer — Fictional character in the television show Psych
Shawn Farrell — The 4400 (TV series)
Shawn Brady — Days of Our Lives (TV series)

What Shawns become

Among 890 notable people named Shawn:

Sports figures appear 2.56× more often than among typical names — e.g. Shawn Michaels, American professional wrestler (born 1965).

Spellings & nicknames

Together with its spelling variants Sean (#489) and Shaun (#1956), Shawn would rank around #312 with about 1,100 births last year — the newborns split about 57/36/7 across Sean, Shawn, and Shaun.

Similar names: Sean · Keith · Shaun · Scott · Saul · Bryan

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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