Sean
The Irish Seán, borrowed from Norman French Jehan, so a form of John.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Sean first shows up in the national records in 1925. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1965 to 2009. Its biggest year was 1990, when 12,018 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 37 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1972, at No. 33. In 2025 it ranked No. 489 for boys. All told, 426,606 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Seann (522) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: John
Explore Sean interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 12 | No. 3408 |
| 1930s | 101 | No. 1532 |
| 1940s | 659 | No. 601 |
| 1950s | 5,452 | No. 218 |
| 1960s | 47,282 | No. 37 |
| 1970s | 83,819 | No. 33 |
| 1980s | 103,870 | No. 37 |
| 1990s | 92,003 | No. 37 |
| 2000s | 64,133 | No. 57 |
| 2010s | 21,540 | No. 102 |
| 2020s | 4,766 | No. 334 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.