Where does the name Shannon come from?

Shannon is a unisex name of Irish origin.

Is Shannon a boy or a girl name?

Shannon is used for both. In U.S. Social Security records, about 85% of children given the name Shannon are girls and 15% are boys.

How popular is the name Shannon in 2023?

Shannon ranks #2047 for boys in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1970 with 16,118 babies.

How do you pronounce Shannon?

Shannon is pronounced SHAN-on (2 syllables).

What are common spellings of Shannon?

Shannon is also written as Shanon, Shannan.

A name from Irish · Unisex

Shannon

From the Shannon, the longest river in Ireland — from Old Irish Sionann, possibly meaning 'old/wise river' or 'the goddess Sinann'. Predominantly feminine in U.S. usage since the 1970s.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 142-year arc in numbers.

347,887 U.S. births recorded from 1881–2023.

Popularity · 1881–2023

139 births in 2023

1881 1952 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

SFrom the Shannon, the longest river in Ireland — from Old Irish Sionann, possibly meaning 'old/wise river' or 'the goddess Sinann'. Predominantly feminine in U.S. usage since the 1970s.

Variants & spellings

2 ways to spell "Shannon".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Shanon Most common Shannan

Famous bearers

People who carry the name Shannon.

S
Shannon Lee (martial artist; daughter of Bruce Lee)
S
Claude Shannon (information theorist)

Quick answers

People often ask about Shannon.

What does the name Shannon mean?: Shannon means from the Shannon, the longest river in Ireland — from Old Irish Sionann, possibly meaning 'old/wise river' or 'the goddess Sinann'. Predominantly feminine in U.S. usage since the 1970s.
Where does the name Shannon come from?: Shannon is a unisex name of Irish origin.
Is Shannon a boy or a girl name?: Shannon is used for both. In U.S. Social Security records, about 85% of children given the name Shannon are girls and 15% are boys.
How popular is the name Shannon in 2023?: Shannon ranks #2047 for boys in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1970 with 16,118 babies.
How do you pronounce Shannon?: Shannon is pronounced SHAN-on (2 syllables).
What are common spellings of Shannon?: Shannon is also written as Shanon, Shannan.

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About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.