Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Shaun

Shaun (like Shawn) is an anglicized version of Seán which is the Irish form of John. John, of course, is one of the most successful masculine names of all time in the English language. It comes from the Latin “Iohannes”, the Greek “Iōannēs” and the Hebrew “Yochanan” all of which translate to ‘Yahweh (God) is gracious’ or ‘God is generous’. John is a name that originated in the Old Testament (or Hebrew Bible) as one of King David’s mighty men. However the name owes most of its popularity to two prominent New Testament figures: John the Baptist and John the Apostle. Therefore, John has traditionally been a name of great importance since early Christianity (hence its many variations in other European languages). John the Baptist (like Jesus) was born under miraculous circumstances; he was considered a gracious gift from God. The angel Gabriel appeared to his father (Zechariah) claiming that God will give his barren wife (Elizabeth) a son (John) to help prepare the way for the Messiah (Jesus). John the Baptist is also known for baptizing Jesus himself in the River Jordan. The other notable New Testament John was John the Apostle – he was a fisherman, the brother of James, and a follower of Christ. He is most known as one of the authors of the four gospels of the New Testament. John gave birth to many forms: Sean (Irish), Ian (Scottish), Giovanni (Italian), Jean (French), Juan (Spanish), Johann (German), Jan (Dutch), and Ivan (Russian). Shawn and Shaun are English versions of the Irish Seán and Shane is the Northern Irish form. John was reintroduced to Western Europeans after the First Crusade (11th century) by the Eastern Christians from the Byzantium Empire. From that point on, John became a wildly popular choice among the English, bestowed upon one in every five boys by the later Middle Ages. In all of its many forms in various languages, John has been a perennial favorite for a thousand years! The spelling of Shaun has been used in England, Scotland, Australia and America most commonly.

All About the Baby Name – Shaun

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME SHAUN

The number Nine personality represents the completion or ending of the cycle, and a need for perfection. This is the personality that moves from "self" to a greater understanding and compassion for the human condition and the world order. They want to make the world a better place. Nines are capable of great spiritual and humanitarian achievements. They are courageous and fearless, able to fight great battles on behalf of worthy causes. These personalities will not tolerate injustice. They are compassionate people with a strong sensitivity to others. They are able to both educate and inspire. Friendships and relationships are the lifeblood to the Nine, and they place a high value on love and affection. Nines are often exceptionally gifted artistically, and they have a keen imagination and enterprising mind.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME SHAUN

The name Shaun first appeared on the U.S. popularity charts for boys in 1950. It caught on pretty quickly and advanced over 500 positions up the charts in its first decade alone. However, Shaun saw its biggest boost ever between 1977 and 1978 when it shot up nearly 250 spots on the charts in two short years. This was totally influenced by the sudden popularity of teen pop-star Shaun Cassidy who released his debut album to American audiences in 1977 and his catchy #1 hit single “Da Doo Ron Ron” resonated with the “tween” audiences of the 1970s. Shaun’s career (and his name) lasted relatively briefly on both the music and naming charts. Shaun fell off the Top 100 list of most popular boy names after only five years (1978-1982). Since the 1980s, Shaun has been on the decline, but the name saw another pop-culture jolt in 2006 thanks to Shaun White (b. 1986) who elevated to fame winning the Olympic gold medal for the snowboarding half pipe event at the winter games in Torino. This red-headed charismatic wonder (nicknamed The Flying Tomato) epitomizes everything that is cool about California, skateboarding and snowboarding. No wonder fans of his are drawn to this name. Shaun is a modern and more casual rendering of Sean in our opinion (although the pronunciations are identical, so spelling comes down to preference). Some people feel that Shaun is more effeminate that Sean – but Shawn is probably the more “unisexy” of the two. Shaun has that easy-breezy laid back quality.

Quick Facts

ON SHAUN

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

1

RANKING POPULARITY:

714

PRONUNCIATION:

SHAWN

SIMPLE MEANING:

The Lord is gracious, God’s gracious gift

Characteristics

OF SHAUN

Multi-talented

Intuitive

Oneness

Idealistic

Philanthropy

Independent

Perfection

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Shaun

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME SHAUN

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Shaun

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME SHAUN

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Shaun


Popular Songs

ON SHAUN

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Shaun


Famous People

NAMED SHAUN

Shaun White (snowboarder/skateboarder)
Shaun Cassidy (70s teen heartthrob)
Shaun Alexander (football player)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (soccer player)
Shaun Taylor (soccer player)
Shaun Tan (children's book author)
Shaun Marcum (baseball player)
Shaun Williamson (English actor)
Shaun Hill (football player)
Shaun Livingston (basketball player)
Shaun Micheel (golfer)
Shaun Tomson (surfer)
Shaun Bartlett (soccer player)
Shaun White (snowboarder/skateboarder)
Shaun Cassidy (70s teen heartthrob)
Shaun Alexander (football player)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (soccer player)
Shaun Taylor (soccer player)
Shaun Tan (children's book author)
Shaun Marcum (baseball player)
Shaun Williamson (English actor)
Shaun Hill (football player)
Shaun Livingston (basketball player)
Shaun Micheel (golfer)
Shaun Tomson (surfer)
Shaun Bartlett (soccer player)
Shaun White (snowboarder/skateboarder)
Shaun Cassidy (70s teen heartthrob)
Shaun Alexander (football player)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (soccer player)
Shaun Taylor (soccer player)
Shaun Tan (children's book author)
Shaun Marcum (baseball player)
Shaun Williamson (English actor)
Shaun Hill (football player)
Shaun Livingston (basketball player)
Shaun Micheel (golfer)
Shaun Tomson (surfer)
Shaun Bartlett (soccer player)

Children of Famous People

NAMED SHAUN

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Shaun

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME SHAUN

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Shaun