How common is the surname Shane?

7,372 people in the United States had the surname Shane in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 41,881 Americans. It ranked 4,796th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Shane?

Sara Shane, American actress, followed by Paul Shane.

Where is the surname Shane most common?

Wikidata records people named Shane in the United States and the United Kingdom.

How do you pronounce Shane?

Shane is /ʃeɪn/, one syllable.

Is the surname Shane getting more or less common?

More common. 6,991 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 7,372 in 2010, up 5.4%.

Is Shane also a first name?

Yes. Shane is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Shane

An Irish patronymic surname, carried by 7,372 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ʃeɪn/ 1 syllable Soundex S500 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Shane is more common than 97% of them.

Origin

Irish origin

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.

Shane is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 880 Irish surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 7,372 people named Shane in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 41,881 Americans. That is up 5.4% since 2000, when the Census counted 6,991.

#4,796

rank among US surnames

7,372

people in 2010

2.5

per 100,000 Americans

+5.4%

change since 2000 (was #4,637)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#4,787	Talbott	7,386	41,801
#4,788	Utley	7,385	41,807
#4,789	Koester	7,380	41,835
#4,790	Boatwright	7,379	41,841
#4,791	Pleasant	7,378	41,847
#4,792	Pomeroy	7,377	41,852
#4,793	Dabney	7,376	41,858

Who is named Shane

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

86% of people named Shane identified as white (not Hispanic), 5.2% as Black (not Hispanic) and 3.1% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 86%
Black (not Hispanic) 5.2%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.1%
Two or more races 2.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.4%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Shanes

3 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Sara Shane
American actress, 1928–2022
Paul Shane
British comedian and actor (1940–2013)
Bob Shane
American musician, 1934–2020

Notable Shanes come mostly from the United States (2) and the United Kingdom (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Shane

Shane has the Soundex code S500, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code S500.

Other Irish surnames

All 880 Irish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Shane come from?: 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,…
How common is the surname Shane?: 7,372 people in the United States had the surname Shane in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 41,881 Americans. It ranked 4,796th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Shane?: In the 2010 Census, 86% of people named Shane identified as white (not Hispanic), and 5.2% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Shane?: Sara Shane, American actress, followed by Paul Shane.
Where is the surname Shane most common?: Wikidata records people named Shane in the United States and the United Kingdom.
How do you pronounce Shane?: Shane is /ʃeɪn/, one syllable.
What type of surname is Shane?: Shane is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Shane getting more or less common?: More common. 6,991 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 7,372 in 2010, up 5.4%.
Is Shane also a first name?: Yes. Shane is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.