Meaning: Its source is Yochanan, a Hebrew name meaning "God's grace."

Alternative Spellings: Shaughan

Feminine Forms: Shauna

Popularity: The name Shaun ranked 381st in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 327th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Though this name has fluctuated in use, it has been quietly present throughout the last century.

Narrative: Yochanan was rendered in Greek as Ioannes, which in turn was translated into Latin as Iohannes. From one or both of these intermediaries come the many modern forms of this name, including John (English), Johannes (German), Juan (Spanish),Eoin (Gaelic), and Jean (French).

Meaning: Its source is Sean, an Irish Gaelic name meaning "God's grace."

Compound Forms: Shondra

Variant Forms: Lashaun and Lashon

Popularity: The name Shaun ranked 2670th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Though this name appears on the 1990 U.S. Census lists, it is used by only a small percentage of the general population.

Narrative: Sean is the Irish Gaelic form of the English John, which is ultimately derived from Yochanan, a Hebrew scriptural name.

The Irish Gaelic forms are reserved for male use among the Irish, but are part of the trend in English-speaking countries to give traditionally male names to baby girls.