Sean

Boy name

Sean has been given to 426,606 babies in the U.S. since 1925. It peaked in 1990 and currently ranks #489 for boys (2025).

Meaning & origin /ʃɔːn/

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.

Origin: Irish

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

426,606

Peak year

1990 (12,070 babies)

Rank in 2025

#489 for boys

First recorded

1925

10-year trend

▼ -67%

Gender split

1% girls / 99% boys

Famous people named Sean

Sean Penn

American actor

Sean Bean

British actor

Sean Combs

American rapper and producer

Sean Astin

American actor (born 1971)

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Sean.

443,723 babies since 1880

391,306 babies since 1883

473,843 babies since 1880

494,713 babies since 1881

332,220 babies since 1880

536,795 babies since 1880

310,687 babies since 1880

553,281 babies since 1900

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