Sean

Early in John's long history as a name (the Middle Ages), international variants emerged. One variant rhymes with John himself, despite his spelling. 

As the Irish form of John, Sean (anglicized from Seán) has the same meaning: "God is gracious." Even though he became established as an Irish given name during the Middle Ages, it took much longer for Sean to achieve mainstream use in the English-speaking world, let alone the United States. 

Sean did not establish himself in the United States until the twentieth century, probably under the influence of Irish immigration. Sean was first used for at least five American boys in 1925. Eighteen years later, he entered the American top 1000. Sean continued to rise as he entered the top 100 in 1965, peaking at #33 in 1972. He remained a top 100 favorite through 2009.

Sean was popular around the same time in all other Anglophone nations. He was an English top 100 star between the 1960s and 2008 and an Australian star between 1963 and 2007. In New Zealand, Sean was popular between 1963 and 2008. Sean remains a top 100 choice in Northern Ireland today. 

Sean has since fallen to the 400s on the American charts, but he remains a well-respected Irish honor name for John. He will surely come back when the time comes. For now, parents in search of something fresher can consider Seamus (Irish variant of James) or Vaughn (Welsh surname-name that rhymes with Sean). 


POPULARITY LEVEL: #250-500


FAMOUS REAL-LIFE NAMESAKES:

  • Irish politician Seán MacBride (1904-1988)
  • Scottish actor Sean Connery (1930-2020)
  • American actor and filmmaker Sean Penn (1960-)
  • British actor Sean Harris (1966-)
  • American actor Sean Astin (1971-)
  • American filmmaker Sean Baker (1971-)
  • American politician Sean Duffy (1971-)
FAMOUS FICTIONAL NAMESAKES:
  • Side character Sean Walsh in Maeve Binchy's 1991 novel Circle of Friends 

VARIANTS: Shane, Shaun, Shawn


SISTERS: Amy, Bridget, Deirdre, Erin, Heidi, Kathleen, Lisa, Molly, Regan, Sara

BROTHERS: Brendan, Connor, Garrett, Heath, Kevin, Neil, Patrick, Ryan, Scott, Trevor


ALTERNATIVES: Ewan, Graeme, Oisín, Reid, Seamus, Senan, Shaw, Steffan, Tam, Vaughn




FURTHER RESOURCES:

"Baby Name: Sean." Boy Names, Nancy's Baby Names, 2024, https://www.nancy.cc/baby-name/sean/. 

"Sean." Names, Behind the Name, 21 Jan. 2022, https://www.behindthename.com/name/sean. 

"Sean | Name Art Print." Name Stories, 2025, https://namestories.com/products/sean-boy-name-print-classic. 


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