Unisex name ★ peaked 1970

Shannon

Gender Unisex · 85% girls Rank 2025 #2,405 Trend ↓ Falling 27%

A unisex given name transferred from the surname or place name (from the river); first used in the USA in early 20th century, and only recently in Ireland.

Rank 2025
#2,405
among girls · ↓522 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
116
named Shannon · -27% vs 2024
How common
1 in 21,430
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1970
16,118 babies
All-time total
348,161
#130 all-time among girls
First recorded
1881
in Social Security records

Shannon popularity over time

348,161 babies have been named Shannon since 1881, 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
2.557.51018801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 – 11 11 1 – –
1890s – 5 5 1 -55% –
1900s – 30 30 3 +500% –
1910s 15 185 200 20 +567% #3,366
1920s 112 254 366 37 +83% #1,883
1930s 372 297 669 67 +83% #875
1940s 1,557 596 2,153 215 +222% #496
1950s 6,100 1,444 7,544 754 +250% #282
1960s 33,850 9,851 43,701 4,370 +479% #31
1970s 113,793 24,649 138,442 13,844 +217% #17
1980s 78,420 8,119 86,539 8,654 -37% #29
1990s 45,912 3,846 49,758 4,976 -43% #53
2000s 12,458 1,932 14,390 1,439 -71% #152
2010s 2,586 849 3,435 344 -76% #685
2020s (to 2025) 607 311 918 153 -55% #1,708

Where Shannon is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 71 0.04 outside top 500
2027 67 0.04 outside top 500
2028 64 0.04 outside top 500
2029 62 0.04 outside top 500
2030 60 0.04 outside top 500

Where Shannon is most popular

Girls named Shannon per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.063 per 1,000. Strongest in Massachusetts, Illinois, and New York.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Shannon 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 Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Massachusetts 15 0.124 +98%
Illinois 20 0.087 +39%
New York 29 0.073 +17%
Kentucky 6 0.070 +12%
Ohio 15 0.063 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 14 0.059 -6%
Texas 40 0.050 -21%
Wisconsin 5 0.049 -23%
California 33 0.039 -37%
New Jersey 7 0.039 -38%
Florida 15 0.035 -44%
Washington 5 0.035 -45%
Michigan 6 0.033 -47%
Tennessee 5 0.032 -50%
Georgia 5 0.022 -65%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
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 Shannon

Shannon is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,405 in 2025 with 75 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1881, 348,161 American babies have been named Shannon, about 85% girls and 15% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1970, when 16,118 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 Shannon stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Shannon?

The median living Shannon is about 47 years old; half are between 38 and 53. An estimated 330 thousand people named Shannon are alive in the United States today.

median 47 020406080100

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

Shannon 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 75 #2,405 41 #3,031
2024 107 #1,883 51 #2,627
2023 96 #2,047 43 #2,941
2022 109 #1,867 42 #2,992
2021 122 #1,708 64 #2,218
2020 98 #1,956 70 #2,044
2019 147 #1,493 69 #2,106
2018 148 #1,487 68 #2,098
2017 174 #1,339 79 #1,869
2016 193 #1,266 78 #1,900
2015 249 #1,063 82 #1,824
2014 257 #1,017 85 #1,778
2013 278 #917 97 #1,601
2012 327 #825 95 #1,633
2011 394 #707 101 #1,564
2010 419 #685 95 #1,650
2009 543 #562 144 #1,248
2008 657 #482 150 #1,186
2007 741 #437 162 #1,119
2006 919 #357 190 #979
2005 1,053 #303 194 #913
2004 1,255 #256 201 #873
2003 1,447 #227 206 #844
2002 1,757 #184 234 #744
2001 1,906 #171 210 #801
2000 2,180 #152 241 #723
1995 4,733 #73 375 #524
1990 5,190 #68 520 #429
1985 7,714 #41 689 #295
1980 9,670 #29 1,328 #184
1975 9,370 #21 2,530 #101
1970 13,547 #22 2,571 #128
1965 2,570 #144 938 #243
1960 1,011 #288 286 #469
1955 643 #336 157 #587
1950 382 #408 92 #717
1945 119 #686 52 #882
1940 72 #846 35 #1,129
1935 32 #1,300 29 #1,271
1930 15 #2,289 11 #2,587
1925 13 #2,755 25 #1,528
1920 – – 19 #1,876
1915 – – 30 #1,210
1910 – – – –
1905 – – 5 #1,401
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – 5 #1,139
1885 – – 6 #924
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Shannon

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

  1. 1 Shannon Elizabeth Shannon Elizabeth American actress and activist (born 1973) Contemporary
  2. 2 Shannon Tweed Shannon Tweed Canadian model and actress (born 1957) Contemporary
  3. 3 Shannon Lee Shannon Lee American actress (born 1969) Contemporary
  4. 4 Shannon Woodward Shannon Woodward American actress b. 1984 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Shannon Briggs Shannon Briggs American boxer and actor b. 1971 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Shannon Brown Shannon Brown American basketball player (born 1985) Contemporary
  7. 7 Shannon Miller Shannon Miller American gymnast (born 1977) Contemporary
  8. 8 Shannon Moore Shannon Moore American professional wrestler (born 1979) Contemporary
  9. 9 Shannon Chan-Kent Shannon Chan-Kent Canadian actress (born 1988) Contemporary
  10. 10 Shannon Lucio Shannon Lucio American actress b. 1980 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Shannon Lucid Shannon Lucid American biochemist and astronaut (born 1943) Contemporary
  12. 12 Shannon Walker Shannon Walker American scientist and NASA astronaut (born 1965) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Shannon?

The median living Shannon is about 47 years old. Half of all living Shannons are between 38 and 53 years old.

How many people named Shannon are alive today?

An estimated 330 thousand people named Shannon are alive in the United States, based on 348,161 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Shannon mean?

A unisex given name transferred from the surname or place name (from the river); first used in the USA in early 20th century, and only recently in Ireland.

How popular is the name Shannon in 2025?

Shannon ranked #2,405 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 75 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Shannon?

348,161 babies have been named Shannon in the United States since 1881, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Shannon most popular?

Shannon peaked in 1970, when 16,118 newborns received the name.

Is Shannon a boy or girl name?

Shannon is used for both: about 85% of babies named Shannon have been girls and 15% boys.

Is the name Shannon rising or falling?

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

Will Shannon become more popular?

Shannon is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 60 girls named Shannon 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 Shannon?

Well-known people named Shannon include Shannon Elizabeth (actor), Shannon Tweed (actor), Shannon Lee (actor).

Names like Shannon

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

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