# Shane (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/shane/  
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 | /ʃeɪn/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 196,166 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 192,583 / 3,583 (2% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 6,774, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Anglicized form of the Northern Irish pronunciation 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, Juan, João, Ian, Evan, Ivan, Sean, Shaun, and Giovanni as a male name. Doublet of Ivana, Jana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena as a female name.

## What it means

Shane 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 24 | 5,757 |
| 2011 | 25 | 5,523 |
| 2012 | 17 | 7,413 |
| 2013 | 11 | 10,145 |
| 2014 | 16 | 7,586 |
| 2015 | 17 | 7,223 |
| 2016 | 17 | 7,190 |
| 2017 | 18 | 6,768 |
| 2018 | 17 | 7,059 |
| 2019 | 13 | 8,532 |
| 2020 | 15 | 7,516 |
| 2021 | 20 | 6,141 |
| 2022 | 10 | 10,290 |
| 2023 | 11 | 9,511 |
| 2024 | 7 | 13,267 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1,643 | 213 |
| 2012 | 1,480 | 244 |
| 2013 | 1,398 | 257 |
| 2014 | 1,298 | 277 |
| 2015 | 1,217 | 295 |
| 2016 | 1,068 | 325 |
| 2017 | 916 | 359 |
| 2018 | 875 | 372 |
| 2019 | 739 | 424 |
| 2020 | 569 | 507 |
| 2021 | 598 | 494 |
| 2022 | 582 | 511 |
| 2023 | 528 | 555 |
| 2024 | 475 | 602 |
| 2025 | 439 | 636 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 3 | 3,795 |
| 1997 | 3 | 3,824 |
| 1998 | 4 | 3,142 |
| 2011 | 3 | 5,785 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 159 | 279 |
| 2012 | 118 | 363 |
| 2013 | 113 | 359 |
| 2014 | 90 | 449 |
| 2015 | 76 | 506 |
| 2016 | 82 | 493 |
| 2017 | 53 | 661 |
| 2018 | 58 | 619 |
| 2019 | 55 | 642 |
| 2020 | 31 | 921 |
| 2021 | 43 | 771 |
| 2022 | 35 | 878 |
| 2023 | 44 | 754 |
| 2024 | 37 | 857 |
| 2025 | 25 | 1,153 |

## People named Shane

- Shane Dawson, American Internet personality (born 1988)
- Shane Warne, Australian cricketer (1969–2022)
- Shane West, American actor, musician and songwriter
- Shane Black, American actor, screenwriter and film director
- Shane McMahon, American businessman and professional wrestler
- Shane MacGowan, Anglo-Irish singer-songwriter (1957–2023)
- Shane Kimbrough, American astronaut
- Shane Battier, American basketball player (born 1978)
- Shane Gould, Australian swimmer
- Shane Harper, American actor and singer
- Shane Mosley, American boxer
- Shane Watson, Australian cricketer

## 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.