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Shaun as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Shaun

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The baby name Shaun is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /ʃɔːn/ (UK), /ʃɑːn/ (US) — "SHAWN".

Shaun is Irish in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 1.0
Origin: Irish
Pronunciation: /ʃɔːn/ (UK), /ʃɑːn/ (US) — "SHAWN"

What is the meaning of the name Shaun ?

The baby name Shaun is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /ʃɔːn/ (UK), /ʃɑːn/ (US) — "SHAWN".

Shaun is Irish in Origin.

Shaun is an Anglicized spelling of the Irish name Seán, the Gaelic equivalent of John, ultimately from Hebrew Yochanan meaning "God is gracious." Pronounced SHAWN, it represents the Irish sound more transparently in English. Close variants include Seán (with fada), Sean, Shawn, Shaune, and Shon; feminine counterparts are Shauna and Shawna. A related cognate of the same root in Welsh is Siôn.

Seán appears in medieval Irish records after John entered Gaelic through Christian and Norman influence; standardized English spellings multiplied from the 17th century onward. The form Shaun rose in Britain and the Commonwealth during the mid-20th century, contrasting with U.S.-favored Shawn and the traditional Sean. Usage peaked in the 1970s-1980s and has declined yet remains recognizable. Noted namesakes include snowboarder Shaun White, actors Shaun Evans and Shaun Toub, and footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips; pop-culture's Shaun the Sheep reinforces a friendly, upbeat image.

Shaun has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Shaun

Shaun Toub Actor · Born 1963 · United States Shaun Toub is an American actor best known for playing Yinsen in Iron Man and Iron Man 3. He’s also known for roles like Rahim Khan in The Kite Runner, Farhad in Crash, and Majid Javadi on Homeland. Shaun Evans Actor · Born 1980 · United Kingdom Shaun Evans is an English actor best known for playing the young Endeavour Morse in the ITV series Endeavour. He has also appeared as Coxswain Elliot Glover in Vigil. Shaun Sipos Actor · Born 1981 · Canada Shaun Sipos is a Canadian actor best known for his role as David Breck on the TV series Melrose Place. He has also appeared in shows like The Vampire Diaries and Dark Matter, showcasing his versatility across different genres.
Shaun Cassidy Actor · Born 1958 · United States Shaun Cassidy is best known as a singer and actor who became a teen idol in the late 1970s. He starred in The Hardy Boys Mysteries and later built a successful TV career creating or producing series like American Gothic, Roar, and Invasion.

Celebrity babies named Shaun

Name Last Name(s) Mother Mother famous for Fame Level Father Father famous for Fame Level
Shaun Cassidy Shirley Jones television actor ★★★★★ Jack Cassidy television actor ★★★★★

Shaun – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2025 #1 — 836
BW 0 #18 2 960
MV 0 #19 1 644
ZA 0 #20 862 14,421
NA 0 #22 12 2,537
BN 0 #29 4 2,297
MV Girls 0 #34 2 2,021
MT 0 #40 4 1,767
MO 0 #52 1 2,706
ZA Boys 0 #58 8,130 25,619
CY 0 #59 2 1,632
JM 0 #73 15 3,714
JP 0 #76 2 4,057
MV Boys 0 #77 3 3,375
MT Boys 0 #80 121 4,064
CN 0 #83 4 3,857
TW 0 #99 5 4,523
QA 0 #102 5 7,011
PH 0 #108 3 5,607
BN Girls 0 #114 1 5,459
OM 0 #117 5 6,215
KW 0 #120 2 5,216
CY Boys 0 #124 8 3,473
EE Boys 0 #124 2 2,087
BW Boys 0 #128 22 4,685
NA Boys 0 #129 112 6,830
BN Boys 0 #133 7 6,332
IQ 0 #133 1 3,533
MU 0 #134 4 3,613
PA 0 #138 1 3,797
JO 0 #140 1 2,158
LT Boys 0 #151 1 2,166
MT Girls 0 #153 1 3,773
CR 0 #161 5 5,526
AE 0 #162 16 10,220
SG 0 #167 106 11,010
CZ 0 #185 2 3,154
Sweden Boys 2012 #186 2 1,395
JM Boys 0 #196 77 6,876
SG Boys 0 #199 830 17,960
DK 0 #206 1 5,198
SI Boys 0 #211 1 3,402
LU Boys 0 #219 2 4,970
MO Boys 0 #226 9 5,842
PS 0 #226 1 5,692
TW Boys 0 #226 16 7,111
IR 0 #230 2 4,221
BD 0 #241 1 5,992
EC Boys 0 #246 1 3,322
AO Boys 0 #249 1 5,568
GR Girls 0 #249 1 6,293
PT 0 #249 2 4,161
JM Girls 0 #272 7 7,507
GR Boys 0 #273 1 6,912
MY 0 #273 58 12,352
IL 0 #278 5 6,291
JP Boys 0 #283 15 7,909
CN Boys 0 #285 35 9,639
TW Girls 0 #288 2 8,139
Canada Boys 2024 #296 11 2,588
KZ Boys 0 #296 1 6,578
CZ Boys 0 #304 2 6,530
DK Boys 0 #310 16 7,401
SA 0 #310 3 10,560
GH Girls 0 #336 2 6,973
HK 0 #338 11 8,483
PL Boys 0 #338 3 6,459
JO Girls 0 #339 1 7,570
QA Girls 0 #339 5 15,378
MU Boys 0 #340 18 8,477
PH Boys 0 #348 36 11,440
GH Boys 0 #360 2 8,138
NL 0 #378 14 2,481
PT Boys 0 #378 4 7,951
France Boys 2021 #381 7 2,865
JO Boys 0 #387 3 7,057
YE 0 #396 3 8,639
BD Girls 0 #402 5 8,413
EG 0 #410 3 6,387
UY Boys 0 #413 1 5,922
OM Girls 0 #420 5 15,987
PH Girls 0 #425 5 13,098
CR Boys 0 #444 44 10,188
MX 0 #445 1 8,339
SD Boys 0 #465 2 10,523
HK Boys 0 #477 51 12,905
GT Boys 0 #499 1 7,625
PA Boys 0 #504 2 9,305
RU Girls 0 #522 2 11,913
IQ Girls 0 #525 1 11,303
PS Boys 0 #534 15 10,655
BD Boys 0 #535 42 10,045
BH 0 #535 19 17,937
CM Girls 0 #558 3 11,671
KW Girls 0 #559 3 19,177
IR Boys 0 #564 2 10,162
CR Girls 0 #572 2 11,342
CM Boys 0 #574 2 12,054
IL Boys 0 #589 19 10,983
AE Girls 0 #595 3 20,968
MY Boys 0 #617 557 25,439
SG Girls 0 #625 8 18,916
IL Girls 0 #645 1 11,648
HK Girls 0 #650 1 16,104
IN Girls 0 #653 2 13,121
QA Boys 0 #662 46 18,093
Finland Boys 2026 #665 18 3,552
LB 0 #688 3 13,263
IQ Boys 0 #696 2 13,071
CL Boys 0 #698 3 13,390
KW Boys 0 #746 24 18,755
United States Boys 2024 #783 110 7,044
BR Boys 0 #784 2 12,213
NG Girls 0 #825 2 15,093
OM Boys 0 #832 50 17,948
NL Boys 0 #862 90 5,873
TN 0 #865 1 13,765
Spain Boys 0 #895 36 5,610
Germany Boys 0 #896 57 5,697
United States Girls 2022 #898 6 8,739
EG Boys 0 #919 7 15,035
PE Boys 0 #925 2 14,506
SA Girls 0 #925 11 25,931
NG Boys 0 #937 15 16,906
AE Boys 0 #960 133 22,615
IN Boys 0 #965 37 16,750
CO Boys 0 #978 4 15,656
ZA Girls 0 #984 158 25,928
EG Girls 0 #1,009 1 14,742
MX Boys 0 #1,032 2 16,355
MY Girls 0 #1,068 5 24,821
MA 0 #1,191 9 20,986
DZ 0 #1,227 8 20,130
TR 0 #1,251 4 19,440
IT Boys 0 #1,401 71 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,517 98 28,008

Shaun is popular in 72 countries — most recent births per country:

Ireland
Scotland, United Kingdom
Canada
France
United States

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People also ask about Shaun

Shaun is predominantly a boy's name.
Shaun is a one syllable name, pronounced /ʃɔːn/ (UK), /ʃɑːn/ (US) — "SHAWN".
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Sean, Seán, Shawn, Shaan and Shon.
Across languages, Shaun has these equivalents: Jean (French), Juan (Spanish), Giovanni (Italian), Johannes/Johan (German/Dutch/Scandinavian), Ian (Scottish), and 4 more.
Yes, very popular — Shaun ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 8 countries.
Shaun ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Shaun's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2015 to #1 in 2025 in Ireland.
Yes — 4 notable people named Shaun are in our database, including Shaun Toub (Actor), Shaun Evans (Actor), Shaun Sipos (Actor).
Yes — at least 1 celebrity couple has chosen Shaun for their child, including Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy.