Shawn

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A masculine first name of Irish origin, a variant of John, used mainly in English-speaking countries
2. A male given name derived from the Irish form of John and popular in English-speaking countries
3. Used as a masculine forename, originating as an Irish form of John and common across the English-speaking world

Etymology: Shawn is a given name whose spelling reflects its Irish pronunciation rather than its Irish spelling. It is a variant of Sean, which comes from Irish "Seán", the Irish form of a name that passed through Old French "Jehan" and Latin "Jōhannēs" before it reached Europe. Those forms trace back to Koine Greek "Iōánnēs" and ultimately to the Hebrew "yōḥānān", meaning "God is gracious." The name is therefore a close relative of John, Jean, Ivan, Giovanni and Juan, all of which descend from the same Hebrew source by different routes. Because these forms developed separately in different languages, they are called doublets: one ancient name that split into many. The spelling "Shawn" is an English-language rendering of the Irish sound, and the same pattern produces Shaun and Shane.