# Seamus (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/seamus/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Irish |
| Meaning | “james” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈʃeɪməs/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Shay, Seamie |
| Variant spellings | Shamus |
| US babies named this | 7,809 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 7,809 / 0 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 926, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Anglicization of Irish Séamas (“James”), itself from English James.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 258 | 837 |
| 2012 | 259 | 838 |
| 2013 | 247 | 864 |
| 2014 | 239 | 903 |
| 2015 | 221 | 946 |
| 2016 | 218 | 953 |
| 2017 | 211 | 979 |
| 2018 | 178 | 1,106 |
| 2019 | 197 | 1,046 |
| 2020 | 161 | 1,195 |
| 2021 | 158 | 1,223 |
| 2022 | 143 | 1,319 |
| 2023 | 137 | 1,366 |
| 2024 | 125 | 1,457 |
| 2025 | 154 | 1,280 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 25 | 1,045 |
| 2012 | 26 | 1,051 |
| 2013 | 32 | 910 |
| 2014 | 24 | 1,117 |
| 2015 | 32 | 927 |
| 2016 | 20 | 1,319 |
| 2017 | 29 | 1,021 |
| 2018 | 34 | 887 |
| 2019 | 24 | 1,113 |
| 2020 | 23 | 1,150 |
| 2021 | 17 | 1,448 |
| 2022 | 24 | 1,143 |
| 2023 | 19 | 1,363 |
| 2024 | 31 | 981 |
| 2025 | 17 | 1,538 |

## People named Seamus

- Seamus Dever, American actor
- Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, American actor
- Seamus Blake, Canadian jazz saxophonist
- Peter O'Toole, British-Irish actor (1932–2013)
- Tomás Ó Fiaich, Catholic cardinal (1923–1990)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.