girl's name
Shawna
SHAW-nuh (English)
- Origin American
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 47,267
Shawna means God is gracious, and it reaches English from Hebrew through four languages — Yochanan to Greek to Latin to Irish Seán, respelled Shawn and then given an American feminine ending. Seán is the French Jean taken into Irish after the Normans arrived.
- Shawna is a name of American origin.
- Peaked in 1977, when 2,090 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 368,460 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1941.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Shawna Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1940s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 112 |
| 1950s | 986 |
| 1960s | 5,566 |
| 1970s | 16,247 |
| 1980s | 13,010 |
| 1990s | 7,111 |
| 2000s | 2,009 |
| 2010s | 483 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 116 |
What Shawna Means
Shawna means God is gracious. The Hebrew behind it is a full sentence rather than a descriptive word, so it states a claim rather than a quality.
Where Shawna Comes From
Shawna is an American feminine of Shawn, itself a respelling of the Irish Seán — which is the French Jean taken into Irish after the Norman arrival, and behind that the Hebrew Yochanan, God is gracious. So the route runs Hebrew to Greek to Latin to French to Irish to English, gaining a feminine -a at the end. Shauna and Seána are the same name under other spellings.
Shawna in Use
Shawna peaked in the United States in 1977, when 2,090 babies were registered, and is falling. It charts in exactly one market, at 10,898th in the United States on 9 births, across 47,267 lifetime births. It is on record from 1941, so the whole of its history sits inside eighty-five years.
How Popular Is Shawna?
In 2025, Shawna was given to 9 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Shawna Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Shawna
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Shawna Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Shawna over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Shawna
- English SHAW-nuh /ˈʃɔː.nə/
Shawna in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling Names for Shawna
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Shawna — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Shawna
What does the name Shawna mean?
God is gracious — the Hebrew Yochanan, through Seán.
Is Sean the same as John?
Yes. Irish took it from the French Jean after the Normans arrived.
How many languages did it pass through?
Hebrew, Greek, Latin, French, Irish, then English.
How popular is Shawna?
10,898th in the United States, down from a 1977 peak of 2,090 births.
Is Shawna a girl's or a boy's name?
Shawna is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Shawna?
Shawna has 2 syllables.
Is Shawna a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Shawna currently ranks #10,898 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.