Shannyn
Feminine variation of Shannon, derived from the Irish surname meaning "old" or "wise".
Name Census estimates that about 500 living Americans carry the first name Shannyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shannyn today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shannyn births was 2002 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shannyn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
500
~ 1 in 685,509 Americans
Peak year
2002
29 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2015 SSA rank
#16,131
Tracked since 1966
Popularity
Shannyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shannyn from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 149 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shannyn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Shannyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shannyns live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shannyn
The name Shannyn is an English variant of the Irish name Siobhán, which is derived from the old Gaelic word "siobhán" meaning "God is gracious." It is believed to have originated in Ireland during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century.
The name Shannyn is thought to have first appeared in written records in the late 16th century, when it was used as a variant spelling of the more traditional Irish name Siobhán. One of the earliest known references to the name Shannyn can be found in a parish record from County Cork, Ireland, dated 1589.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Shannyn. One of the most famous was Shannyn O'Brien (1845-1921), an Irish poet and playwright whose works celebrated Irish culture and nationalism. Another notable Shannyn was Shannyn Fitzgerald (1902-1985), an American actress and singer who appeared in numerous Broadway productions and Hollywood films during the 1920s and 1930s.
In the realm of literature, Shannyn Harrington (1920-2003) was a renowned American author and journalist who wrote several best-selling novels and non-fiction works, including her critically acclaimed memoir "A Life in Letters." The name Shannyn was also borne by Shannyn MacDonald (1933-2019), a Canadian painter and sculptor whose works were exhibited in galleries across North America and Europe.
Another notable figure was Shannyn Roberts (1952-2018), a British environmentalist and activist who campaigned tirelessly for the protection of rainforests and indigenous rights. Her efforts earned her numerous awards and recognition from various organizations and governments around the world.
Despite its Irish origins, the name Shannyn has been adopted and used in various cultures and communities across the globe, reflecting its enduring appeal and versatility as a given name.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Shannyn
People
Shannyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shannyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Shannyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shannyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 500 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shannyn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 685,509 US residents.
Is Shannyn a common name?
We classify Shannyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 527 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shannyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Shannyn was 2002, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shannyn is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shannyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shannyn in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.