US Popularity Rank: 1280

Origin: Irish

Meaning: God is gracious

A name with a deep-rooted history, Shawn ultimately means “God is gracious.” This name is the anglicized version of the Irish Séan, which itself comes from the Hebrew name John. While this more phonetic spelling has been gracing the popular side of the baby name charts since the 1970s, the name's history dates back to biblical times. Just as John the Baptist trusted in Jesus in the Bible, baby Shawn can lay his faith in the powers that be, whether that's a heavenly figure, or his loving parents.