# Sean (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/sean/  
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 | “god is gracious” |
| Pronunciation | /ʃɔn/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Shaun, Shawn, Shohn, Shon, Shone |
| US babies named this | 426,606 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 423,637 / 2,969 (1% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 15,067, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Anglicised form of Irish Seán, from Old French Jehan, from Latin Johannes, variant of Ioannes, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yōḥānān, literally “God is gracious”). Doublet of John, Jack, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Jean, Ian, Evan, Ivan, Shaun, Shane, and Giovanni.

## What it means

Sean is grouped under grace.

## 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, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 27 | 4,939 |
| 2006 | 21 | 6,312 |
| 2007 | 10 | 11,489 |
| 2008 | 27 | 5,410 |
| 2009 | 13 | 9,306 |
| 2010 | 11 | 10,355 |
| 2011 | 9 | 11,991 |
| 2012 | 14 | 8,559 |
| 2013 | 14 | 8,509 |
| 2015 | 7 | 14,268 |
| 2016 | 6 | 15,928 |
| 2018 | 5 | 17,727 |
| 2020 | 8 | 11,973 |
| 2024 | 8 | 11,985 |
| 2025 | 7 | 12,971 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 3,192 | 125 |
| 2012 | 2,777 | 145 |
| 2013 | 2,203 | 185 |
| 2014 | 2,125 | 193 |
| 2015 | 1,895 | 210 |
| 2016 | 1,671 | 234 |
| 2017 | 1,481 | 251 |
| 2018 | 1,325 | 268 |
| 2019 | 1,128 | 301 |
| 2020 | 976 | 334 |
| 2021 | 900 | 362 |
| 2022 | 803 | 397 |
| 2023 | 741 | 427 |
| 2024 | 730 | 435 |
| 2025 | 616 | 489 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 313 | 178 |
| 2012 | 250 | 214 |
| 2013 | 213 | 239 |
| 2014 | 197 | 255 |
| 2015 | 170 | 284 |
| 2016 | 130 | 359 |
| 2017 | 125 | 368 |
| 2018 | 96 | 435 |
| 2019 | 106 | 404 |
| 2020 | 74 | 509 |
| 2021 | 103 | 412 |
| 2022 | 65 | 577 |
| 2023 | 65 | 574 |
| 2024 | 59 | 638 |
| 2025 | 61 | 615 |

## In other languages

- Catalan: Joan
- Chinese: 肖恩
- Greek: Γιάννης, Σον
- Hebrew: שׁוֹן
- Hindi: शॉन
- Russian: Шон
- Spanish: Juan

## People named Sean

- Sean Penn, American actor
- Sean Combs, Diddy touched me
- Sean Bean, British actor (born 1959)
- Sean Astin, American actor (born 1971)
- Robert Sean Leonard, American actor
- Sean Hayes, American actor (born 1970)
- Sean Young, American actress
- Sean Lennon, American composer and musician, son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono
- Sean Baker, American film director
- Sean Hannity, American television host and political commentator (born 1961)
- Sean Parker, American entrepreneur, programmer and philanthropist
- Sean Dyche, English football player and manager

## 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.