Shawn

Shawn is an anglicized spelling of the Irish name Seán, itself an adaptation of the Old French Jehan, which derives from the Latin Iohannes and ultimately from the Hebrew Yohanan, meaning God is gracious. The name was carried into Ireland through Norman and ecclesiastical influence and became one of the most common masculine names in the Irish tradition. Shawn emerged as a phonetic English rendering of the Irish pronunciation, particularly popular in North America during the twentieth century. Closely related forms include Sean, Shane, John, Juan, Ian, and Jean.