Meanings
plural Shannons
- The longest river in the British Isles, which flows through Ireland into the Atlantic Ocean.
- A sea area, to the west of Ireland, centred on the estuary of this river.
- A small town in Horowhenua district, Manawatū-Whanganui, North Island, New Zealand.
- A locality in Central Highlands Council, central Tasmania, Australia.
- A surname from Irish of Irish origin, variant of Shanahan, anglicised from Ó Seanaigh (“descendant of a person named Old”).
- A unisex given name transferred from the surname or place name (from the river); first used in the USA in early 20th century, and only recently in Ireland.
Shannon Downey goes for the unfinished stitching projects.
2019 October 25, Konstantin Toropin, “A woman found an unfinished, 20-year-old quilt and complete strangers are helping piece it together”, in CNN, archived from the original on 29 Oct 20193 more examples
Captain Samuel Shannon is frequently mentioned in the public records, and he had something more than a local reputation. He must have been very popular, as the name "Shannon" as a Christian name is so common throughout the valley as to be noticeable.
1896, Report of the Commission to Locate the Site of the Frontier Forts of Pennsylvania, C.M.Busch, state printer, page 283Everything in my life is okay except I have this terrible problem with my sister Shannon. I'm spelling her name the way most people would. She spells it Sionna ever since the priest told us that's the real Irish way to spell it. It's the name of a river and a goddess. Shanny doesn't think she's a river. She's really Shannon Marie.
2005, Andrew M. Greeley, Mary G. Durkin, The Book of Love, Macmillan, →ISBN, pages 193–194The law was jointly authored by state Sens. Dave Cortese, a San Jose Democrat, and Shannon Grove, a Bakersfield Republican.
2026 September 16, Cecelio Padilla, “California's "Leno's Law" signed, expanding classic car smog exemptions”, in CBS News, archived from the original on 18 Sep 2026
Origin
- IrishSionainn
- IrishSionainn
- EnglishShannon
Borrowed from Irish Sionainn.
More words from Irish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 香農河 /香农河
- 香農河 /香农河 (Xiāngnóng Hé)river
Irish An tSionainn
- An tSionainnriver
Russian Ше́ннон
- Ше́ннон (Šénnon)river
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with Shannon
All rhymes →Cite this entry
Shannon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Shannon
“Shannon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Shannon. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Shannon,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Shannon.
Source: Shannon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.