Shannon
The Irish river, from Sionainn, “old river,” treated as a goddess name.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Shannon first shows up in the national records in 1881. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in every year from 1968 to 1997. Its biggest year was 1970, when 13,547 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 22 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1976, at No. 17. The name has also seen real use for boys: 52,379 of the 348,161 Americans given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Shanon (6,549), Shannan (5,479), Shannen (2,071), Shanan (868), Shannyn (527) (total births since 1880)
Explore Shannon interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 15 | No. 2979 |
| 1920s | 112 | No. 1825 |
| 1930s | 372 | No. 868 |
| 1940s | 1,557 | No. 494 |
| 1950s | 6,100 | No. 282 |
| 1960s | 33,850 | No. 31 |
| 1970s | 113,793 | No. 17 |
| 1980s | 78,420 | No. 29 |
| 1990s | 45,912 | No. 53 |
| 2000s | 12,458 | No. 152 |
| 2010s | 2,586 | No. 685 |
| 2020s | 607 | No. 1698 |
Births and rank shown for girls, 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.