Shaun

S1H4A1U1N1
UK/ʃɔːn/Australia, British, New Zealand, Southern, Standard/ʃoːn/US/ʃɔn/US, cot caught merger/ʃɑn/

proper noun

A male given name from Irish.

OriginIrish Seán ← Old French Jehan ← Latin Johannes →
Less commonScrabble 8
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Meanings

proper noun

alternative Shawn

  1. A male given name from Irish.
  2. A female given name from Irish.

Origin

  1. Hebrewיוֹחָנָן
  2. Koine GreekἸωάννης
  3. LatinJohannes
  4. Old FrenchJehan
  5. IrishSeán
  6. EnglishShaun

A variant of Sean, from Irish Seán, from Old French Jehan, from Latin Johannes, variant of Ioannes, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yōḥānān, literally “God is gracious”). Doublet of John, Jack, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Jean, Ian, Evan, Ivan, Sean, Shawn, Shane, and Giovanni as a male name. Doublet of Ivana, Jana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shauna, and Sheena as a female name.

More words from Irish, Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with Shaun

ongoneseandrawndawnlawnwithdrawnVaughanthereonpawnyawnStrachanSiobhansawnawnbrawnpwnstrawnKhersonwhereonrespawnfaunhereonArlon
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

SeanShawnshorn (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger)Sian (female given name, cot–caught merger, father–bother merger)

Anagrams

Anshu
Cite this entry
APA

Shaun. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Shaun

MLA

“Shaun.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Shaun. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Shaun,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Shaun.

Source: Shaun on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.