Shuan
A name of Hawaiian origin meaning "bright" or "shining".
Name Census estimates that about 165 living Americans carry the first name Shuan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shuan today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shuan births was 1980 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shuan. 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
165
~ 1 in 2,077,299 Americans
Peak year
1980
17 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2001 SSA rank
#12,046
Tracked since 1966
Census
Shuan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 313 people with the first name Shuan, which placed it at #28,614 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#28,614
National first-name rank
People counted
313
313 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
33.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shuan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shuan is Black at 33.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.0%) and White (27.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Shuan described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Shuan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American33.2% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander30.0% · 94
- White27.2% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 16
- Two or more races3.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 3
Popularity
Shuan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shuan from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 81 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shuan 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 Shuan 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 Shuan
The name Shuan has its origins in the Gaelic language, which was spoken by the ancient Celts who inhabited parts of modern-day Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. It is believed to have emerged sometime around the 5th or 6th century AD, during the height of the Celtic cultural influence in these regions.
Shuan is derived from the Gaelic word "suan," which means "sleep" or "slumber." It was likely given as a name to signify the peaceful and tranquil nature of a child or to express a wish for the child to have a restful and serene life. The name may also have been associated with dreams or visions, as sleep was considered a gateway to the realm of the subconscious.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shuan can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled by monks in the 15th century. The annals mention a figure named Shuan mac Colmáin, who was a king of the Uí Chennselaig, a medieval Irish dynasty that ruled parts of modern-day County Wexford.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Shuan. One of the most prominent was Shuan O'Donnell, a 16th-century Irish chieftain and lord of Tyrconnell (modern-day County Donegal). He played a significant role in the Nine Years' War against English rule in Ireland, ultimately leading the Irish forces to several victories before his death in 1592.
Another historical figure named Shuan was Shuan MacFerghus, a 14th-century Scottish poet and bard who is credited with composing several works in the Gaelic language. His poetry often celebrated the natural beauty of the Scottish Highlands and the heroic deeds of clan leaders and warriors.
In the realm of religion, there was Shuan of Iona, a 7th-century Irish monk and scholar who lived and worked on the island of Iona, an important center of Celtic Christianity. He is believed to have been a skilled scribe and contributed to the preservation of ancient texts and manuscripts.
Lastly, Shuan MacCrimmon was a renowned 18th-century Scottish piper from the Isle of Skye. He was considered a master of the Highland bagpipes and is said to have composed several iconic piping tunes that are still played today in various musical traditions.
While the name Shuan may not be as common in modern times, its rich history and connections to Celtic culture and traditions continue to resonate, serving as a reminder of the enduring legacy of the ancient Gaelic peoples.
People
Shuan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shuan 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
Shuan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shuan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 165 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shuan 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 2,077,299 US residents.
Is Shuan a common name?
We classify Shuan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 176 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shuan most popular?
The single biggest year for Shuan was 1980, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shuan is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shuan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 313 people with the name Shuan, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #28,614 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Shuan in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Shuan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Shuan leans strongly male. 259 people counted with this name were male (82.5%), compared with 55 female bearers (17.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Shuan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shuan is Black at 33.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.0%) and White (27.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Shuan most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Shuan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 33.2% (104 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Shuan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shuan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shuan in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Shuan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shuan in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Shuan can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people have the name Shuan?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Shuan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.