boys' name ★ peaked 1973

Shane

Meaning God is gracious Gender Boy · 2% girls Rank 2025 #636 Trend ↓ Falling 31%

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)…

Rank 2025
#636
among boys · ↓34 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
439
named Shane · -9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 3,891
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1973
5,931 babies
All-time total
196,166
#190 all-time among boys
First recorded
1933
in Social Security records

Shane popularity over time

196,166 babies have been named Shane since 1933, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
123418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – 36 36 4 – #2,720
1940s 36 159 195 20 +442% #1,430
1950s 151 2,589 2,740 274 +1305% #351
1960s 334 13,923 14,257 1,426 +420% #87
1970s 1,263 50,279 51,542 5,154 +262% #54
1980s 704 43,169 43,873 4,387 -15% #65
1990s 554 40,598 41,152 4,115 -6% #73
2000s 303 26,129 26,432 2,643 -36% #116
2010s 175 12,510 12,685 1,269 -52% #198
2020s (to 2025) 63 3,191 3,254 542 -57% #494

Where Shane is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 411 0.24 outside top 500
2027 388 0.23 outside top 500
2028 369 0.22 outside top 500
2029 355 0.21 outside top 500
2030 342 0.20 outside top 500

Where Shane is most popular

Boys named Shane per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.304 per 1,000. Strongest in Delaware, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Shane born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Delaware 20 1.32 +334%
New Jersey 169 0.839 +177%
Connecticut 51 0.753 +148%
Pennsylvania 179 0.674 +122%
New York 240 0.554 +83%
Massachusetts 73 0.531 +75%
Montana 9 0.510 +68%
Alaska 6 0.504 +66%
Illinois 124 0.485 +60%
Maryland 55 0.461 +52%
Michigan 78 0.381 +25%
Ohio 96 0.362 +19%
Virginia 67 0.353 +16%
Hawaii 5 0.322 +6%
Utah 30 0.314 ≈ national
Kansas 21 0.306 ≈ national
Arkansas 19 0.300 ≈ national
California 270 0.295 ≈ national
Florida 129 0.272 -10%
Washington 44 0.269 -11%
North Carolina 68 0.266 -12%
Iowa 18 0.261 -14%
Oklahoma 23 0.260 -14%
Tennessee 45 0.249 -18%
Arizona 40 0.244 -19%
Louisiana 25 0.244 -19%
Colorado 30 0.232 -23%
Wisconsin 27 0.228 -25%
Minnesota 27 0.220 -27%
Indiana 35 0.218 -28%
Texas 189 0.215 -29%
South Carolina 22 0.213 -30%
Nebraska 9 0.207 -32%
Georgia 52 0.205 -32%
Missouri 28 0.202 -33%
Oregon 14 0.184 -39%
New Mexico 6 0.182 -40%
Nevada 10 0.175 -42%
West Virginia 5 0.153 -50%
Idaho 5 0.122 -60%
Kentucky 12 0.120 -61%
Alabama – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Shane

Shane is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #636 in 2025 with 439 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1933, 196,166 American babies have been named Shane. Its peak came in 1973, when 5,931 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Shane stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Shane?

The median living Shane is about 38 years old; half are between 27 and 49. An estimated 186 thousand people named Shane are alive in the United States today.

median 38 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Shane year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 439 #636
2024 7 #13,267 475 #602
2023 11 #9,511 528 #555
2022 10 #10,290 582 #511
2021 20 #6,141 598 #494
2020 15 #7,516 569 #507
2019 13 #8,532 739 #424
2018 17 #7,059 875 #372
2017 18 #6,768 916 #359
2016 17 #7,190 1,068 #325
2015 17 #7,223 1,217 #295
2014 16 #7,586 1,298 #277
2013 11 #10,145 1,398 #257
2012 17 #7,413 1,480 #244
2011 25 #5,523 1,643 #213
2010 24 #5,757 1,876 #198
2009 33 #4,557 2,132 #178
2008 29 #5,119 2,307 #174
2007 34 #4,461 2,241 #184
2006 28 #5,076 2,277 #179
2005 33 #4,254 2,459 #166
2004 34 #4,158 2,476 #165
2003 22 #5,569 2,816 #144
2002 35 #3,795 3,030 #130
2001 27 #4,548 3,116 #128
2000 28 #4,382 3,275 #116
1995 57 #2,340 3,630 #103
1990 71 #1,951 5,274 #73
1985 88 #1,438 4,549 #68
1980 67 #1,699 4,365 #69
1975 108 #1,090 5,209 #57
1970 97 #1,189 4,451 #64
1965 23 #2,594 1,025 #228
1960 16 #3,190 532 #337
1955 18 #2,707 305 #420
1950 6 #5,206 28 #1,388
1945 – – 9 #2,556
1940 – – 8 #2,832
1935 – – 8 #2,913
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Shane

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Shane McMahon Shane McMahon American professional wrestler and businessman (born 1970) Contemporary
  2. 2 Shane Black Shane Black American filmmaker (born 1961) Contemporary
  3. 3 Shane West Shane West American actor, singer and songwriter b. 1978 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Shane Harper Shane Harper American actor and singer-songwriter b. 1993 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Shane Dawson Shane Dawson American YouTuber (born 1988) Contemporary
  6. 6 Shane Filan Shane Filan Irish pop singer (born 1979) 5 July Contemporary
  7. 7 Shane Larkin Shane Larkin American-Turkish basketball player (born 1992) Contemporary
  8. 8 Shane Mosley Shane Mosley American boxer (born 1971) Contemporary
  9. 9 Shane Battier Shane Battier American basketball player (born 1978) Contemporary
  10. 10 Shane Doan Shane Doan Canadian ice hockey player (born 1976) Contemporary
  11. 11 Shane Gould Shane Gould Australian swimmer (born 1956) Contemporary
  12. 12 Shane Smeltz Shane Smeltz New Zealand footballer (born 1981) Contemporary
  13. 13 Shane Lowry Shane Lowry Australian football player (born 1989) Contemporary
  14. 14 Shane Kelly Topics referred to by the same term b. 1972 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Shane Perkins Shane Perkins Australian-Russian track cyclist b. 1986 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Shane, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Shane?

The median living Shane is about 38 years old. Half of all living Shanes are between 27 and 49 years old.

How many people named Shane are alive today?

An estimated 186 thousand people named Shane are alive in the United States, based on 196,166 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Shane mean?

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”).

How popular is the name Shane in 2025?

Shane ranked #636 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 439 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Shane?

196,166 babies have been named Shane in the United States since 1933, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Shane most popular?

Shane peaked in 1973, when 5,931 newborns received the name.

Is Shane a boy or girl name?

Shane is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Shane rising or falling?

Shane is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Shane become more popular?

Shane is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 342 boys named Shane in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Shane?

Well-known people named Shane include Shane McMahon (businessperson), Shane Black (film director), Shane West (actor).

Names like Shane

Names that sound and feel close to Shane: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Shane with similar names → More names starting with S →