Shawnell
Of uncertain origin, potentially a feminine variant of the name Shawn.
Name Census estimates that about 248 living Americans carry the first name Shawnell. It is a predominantly female name (92.2% of registrations). The average person named Shawnell today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shawnell births was 1978 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shawnell. 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
248
~ 1 in 1,382,074 Americans
Peak year
1978
16 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
1994 SSA rank
#8,645
Tracked since 1968
Gender
Gender distribution for Shawnell
Shawnell leans heavily female at 92.2% of total registrations, but 21 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Shawnell as a male name
- Ranked #8,645 in 1994
- 6 male births in 1994
- Peak: 1994 (6 births)
Shawnell as a female name
- Ranked #13,174 in 1994
- 6 female births in 1994
- Peak: 1978 (16 births)
Popularity
Shawnell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shawnell from the 1960s through to the 1990s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 131 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Shawnell remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shawnell 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 Shawnell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shawnell
The given name Shawnell is believed to have its origins in the Gaelic language, tracing back to the ancient Celts of Ireland and Scotland. It is thought to be derived from the Old Irish word "sémh," meaning "peaceful" or "calm." The name may have evolved from the masculine form "Sémhán," which was later anglicized to "Shawnee" or "Shawn."
In the early medieval period, the name Shawnell was likely used by Celtic families in Ireland and Scotland, particularly those belonging to noble or influential clans. However, there are no definitive historical records or ancient texts that directly reference this specific name during this time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shawnell dates back to the late 16th century, when a woman by the name of Shawnell O'Brien was born in County Clare, Ireland, around 1575. She was a member of the prominent O'Brien clan and is believed to have been a noblewoman during the Elizabethan era.
Another notable figure bearing the name Shawnell was a Scottish woman named Shawnell MacGregor, who lived in the early 17th century. She was born around 1610 in the Highlands of Scotland and was part of the influential MacGregor clan, known for their fierce loyalty and warrior traditions.
In the 18th century, a woman named Shawnell O'Connor gained recognition as a skilled weaver and textile artist in County Cork, Ireland. Born in 1725, her intricate tapestries and embroidered works were highly regarded among the local gentry and aristocracy.
Moving into the 19th century, Shawnell McDowell was a notable figure in the American West. Born in 1820 in Kentucky, she was a pioneer and adventurer who traveled across the Great Plains and settled in Oregon in the 1840s, where she became a respected member of the local community.
Another individual of historical significance was Shawnell Byrne, an Irish-American activist and advocate for women's rights. Born in 1865 in New York City to Irish immigrant parents, she was a vocal supporter of the suffrage movement and worked tirelessly to promote gender equality and social justice.
While the name Shawnell has its roots in ancient Celtic cultures, it has endured through the centuries and has been carried by individuals from various backgrounds and regions, each leaving their own unique mark on history.
People
Shawnell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shawnell 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
Shawnell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shawnell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 248 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shawnell 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 1,382,074 US residents.
Is Shawnell a common name?
We classify Shawnell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 269 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shawnell most popular?
The single biggest year for Shawnell was 1978, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shawnell is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shawnell a female name?
Yes, 92.2% of people registered as Shawnell 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.