boys' name ★ peaked 1978

Shaun

Meaning God is gracious Gender Boy · 4% girls Rank 2025 #1,956 Trend ↓ Falling 44%

A variant of Sean, from Irish Seán, from Old French Jehan, from Latin Johannes, variant of Ioannes, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yōḥānān…

Rank 2025
#1,956
among boys · ↓385 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
79
named Shaun · -29% vs 2024
How common
1 in 21,621
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1978
6,221 babies
All-time total
73,610
#402 all-time among boys
First recorded
1935
in Social Security records

Shaun popularity over time

73,610 babies have been named Shaun since 1935, 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 – 63 63 6 – #1,525
1940s 25 230 255 26 +305% #1,154
1950s 416 1,239 1,655 166 +549% #476
1960s 946 5,559 6,505 651 +293% #244
1970s 801 19,317 20,118 2,012 +209% #52
1980s 471 24,470 24,941 2,494 +24% #79
1990s 269 8,621 8,890 889 -64% #225
2000s 137 7,010 7,147 715 -20% #342
2010s 49 3,219 3,268 327 -54% #483
2020s (to 2025) 15 753 768 128 -61% #1,138

Where Shaun 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 71 0.04 outside top 500
2027 65 0.04 outside top 500
2028 61 0.04 outside top 500
2029 57 0.03 outside top 500
2030 54 0.03 outside top 500

Where Shaun is most popular

Boys named Shaun per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.067 per 1,000. Strongest in Pennsylvania, Washington, and Kansas.

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 Shaun 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
Pennsylvania 21 0.079 +18%
Washington 12 0.073 +9%
Kansas 5 0.073 +8%
Missouri 10 0.072 +7%
Florida 33 0.070 ≈ national
California 61 0.067 ≈ national
Illinois 17 0.067 ≈ national
Texas 58 0.066 ≈ national
New York 27 0.062 -7%
Ohio 14 0.053 -21%
Utah 5 0.052 -22%
North Carolina 12 0.047 -30%
Massachusetts 5 0.036 -46%
Virginia 6 0.032 -53%
Georgia 7 0.028 -59%
New Jersey 5 0.025 -63%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Shaun

Shaun is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,956 in 2025 with 79 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1935, 73,610 American babies have been named Shaun. Its peak came in 1978, when 6,221 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 Shaun stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Shaun?

The median living Shaun is about 43 years old; half are between 34 and 47. An estimated 69 thousand people named Shaun are alive in the United States today.

median 43 020406080100

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

Shaun 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 – – 79 #1,956
2024 – – 111 #1,571
2023 – – 120 #1,495
2022 6 #15,049 122 #1,489
2021 9 #11,032 149 #1,279
2020 – – 172 #1,138
2019 – – 193 #1,062
2018 6 #15,392 206 #1,008
2017 8 #12,570 243 #889
2016 – – 250 #877
2015 5 #18,726 311 #768
2014 – – 325 #737
2013 5 #18,867 331 #713
2012 6 #16,555 391 #623
2011 6 #16,479 428 #587
2010 13 #9,151 541 #483
2009 11 #10,565 554 #495
2008 11 #10,689 672 #432
2007 16 #8,036 770 #393
2006 7 #14,909 905 #342
2005 14 #8,264 722 #397
2004 19 #6,457 660 #398
2003 12 #8,971 687 #381
2002 17 #6,647 635 #401
2001 12 #8,661 654 #390
2000 18 #6,175 751 #355
1995 28 #3,863 710 #347
1990 35 #3,216 1,354 #225
1985 49 #2,168 2,354 #120
1980 73 #1,600 3,923 #79
1975 47 #1,931 699 #275
1970 138 #934 989 #240
1965 109 #1,002 555 #322
1960 51 #1,577 238 #514
1955 62 #1,289 117 #677
1950 16 #2,645 58 #903
1945 6 #4,475 15 #1,844
1940 – – 10 #2,458
1935 – – 8 #2,914
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Shaun

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

  1. 1 Shaun White Shaun White American snowboarder and skateboarder (born 1986) Contemporary
  2. 2 Shaun Murphy Shaun Murphy English snooker player (born 1982) Contemporary
  3. 3 Shaun Wright-Phillips Shaun Wright-Phillips English footballer (born 1981) Contemporary
  4. 4 Shaun Evans Shaun Evans British actor and director born 1980) Contemporary
  5. 5 Shaun Toub Shaun Toub American actor (born 1958) b. 1963 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Shaun Morgan Shaun Morgan South African musician (born 1978) Contemporary
  7. 7 Shaun Sipos Canadian actor (born 1981) Contemporary
  8. 8 Shaun Livingston Shaun Livingston American basketball player (born 1985) Contemporary
  9. 9 Shaun Marsh Shaun Marsh Australian cricketer b. 1983 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Shaun Derry Shaun Derry English footballer (born 1977) Contemporary
  11. 11 Shaun Tan Shaun Tan Australian artist, writer and film maker (born 1974) Contemporary
  12. 12 Shaun Bartlett South African soccer player b. 1972 · Contemporary
  13. 13 Shaun Donovan Shaun Donovan American government official and politician b. 1966 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Shaun?

The median living Shaun is about 43 years old. Half of all living Shauns are between 34 and 47 years old.

How many people named Shaun are alive today?

An estimated 69 thousand people named Shaun are alive in the United States, based on 73,610 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Shaun mean?

A variant of Sean, from 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 Shaun in 2025?

Shaun ranked #1,956 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 79 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Shaun?

73,610 babies have been named Shaun in the United States since 1935, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Shaun most popular?

Shaun peaked in 1978, when 6,221 newborns received the name.

Is Shaun a boy or girl name?

Shaun is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 96% of babies with the name.

Is the name Shaun rising or falling?

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

Will Shaun become more popular?

Shaun is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 54 boys named Shaun 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 Shaun?

Well-known people named Shaun include Shaun White (athlete), Shaun Murphy (snooker), Shaun Wright-Phillips (soccer player).

Names like Shaun

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

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