Shauna

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A feminine first name, a Scottish and Irish variant of Jane, sometimes spelled Shauna or Shawna
2. A woman's given name of Gaelic origin, the Scottish and Irish form of the name Joan or Jane
3. Used as a female first name, a regional variant derived from the Gaelic form of Jane

Etymology: Shauna is a feminine form of Shaun, which is itself the anglicised spelling of the Irish name Seán. That makes it a close cousin of a surprisingly long chain of names: the Hebrew Yōḥānān, meaning "God is gracious," passed through Greek Iōánnēs and Latin Johannes, then reached French as Jehan, and from there Irish and English as Seán and Shaun. Along the way it split into many forms that are now separate names, including Jane, Joan, Jean, Siobhan and Shane, which all trace back to the same origin. The feminine ending "-a" was added to Shaun to create Shauna, so the name is essentially a female version of the Irish-derived form. Its spelling reflects the English convention of rendering the Irish "Sh" sound, which is how the name Seán is pronounced in English-speaking countries.