"Sean" meaning in English

See Sean in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Proper name

IPA: /ʃɔːn/ Forms: Seans [plural], Shaun [alternative], Shawn [alternative], Shohn [alternative]
enPR: shôn Rhymes: -ɔːn Etymology: Anglicised form of Irish Seán, from Old French Jehan, from Latin Johannes, variant of Ioannes, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yōḥānān, literally “God is gracious”). Doublet of John, Jack, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Jean, Ian, Evan, Ivan, Shaun, Shane, and Giovanni. Etymology templates: {{bor|en|ga|Seán}} Irish Seán, {{der|en|fro|Jehan}} Old French Jehan, {{der|en|la|Johannes}} Latin Johannes, {{der|en|grc-koi|Ἰωάννης}} Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), {{der|en|he|יוֹחָנָן|lit=God is gracious|tr=Yōḥānān}} Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yōḥānān, literally “God is gracious”), {{dbt|en|John|Jack|Johan|Johann|Johannes|Jean|Ian|Evan|Ivan|Shaun|Shane|Giovanni}} Doublet of John, Jack, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Jean, Ian, Evan, Ivan, Shaun, Shane, and Giovanni Head templates: {{en-prop|s}} Sean (plural Seans)
  1. A male given name from Irish. Translations (a male given name): Joan (Catalan), 肖恩 (Xiāoēn) (Chinese Mandarin), Γιάννης (Giánnis) [masculine] (Greek), Σον (english: Son) [transliteration] (Greek), שׁוֹן (shon) (Hebrew), Seaninu (Maltese), Шон (Šon) [masculine] (Russian), Juan (Spanish)

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ga",
        "3": "Seán"
      },
      "expansion": "Irish Seán",
      "name": "bor"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "Jehan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French Jehan",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "Johannes"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin Johannes",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc-koi",
        "3": "Ἰωάννης"
      },
      "expansion": "Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "he",
        "3": "יוֹחָנָן",
        "lit": "God is gracious",
        "tr": "Yōḥānān"
      },
      "expansion": "Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yōḥānān, literally “God is gracious”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "10": "Ivan",
        "11": "Shaun",
        "12": "Shane",
        "13": "Giovanni",
        "2": "John",
        "3": "Jack",
        "4": "Johan",
        "5": "Johann",
        "6": "Johannes",
        "7": "Jean",
        "8": "Ian",
        "9": "Evan"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of John, Jack, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Jean, Ian, Evan, Ivan, Shaun, Shane, and Giovanni",
      "name": "dbt"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Anglicised form of Irish Seán, from Old French Jehan, from Latin Johannes, variant of Ioannes, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yōḥānān, literally “God is gracious”).\nDoublet of John, Jack, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Jean, Ian, Evan, Ivan, Shaun, Shane, and Giovanni.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Seans",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Shaun",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Shawn",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Shohn",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "s"
      },
      "expansion": "Sean (plural Seans)",
      "name": "en-prop"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "name",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English given names",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English male given names",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Catalan translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Greek translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hebrew translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Maltese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Mandarin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              93,
              97
            ],
            [
              235,
              239
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1996, Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes, Harper Collins Publishers., →ISBN, page 203:",
          "text": "They sit by the fire smoking and talking about names. Mam says she likes the names Kevin and Sean but Bridey says, Ah no, there's too many of them in Limerick. Jesus, Angela, if you stuck your head out of the door and called, Kevin or Sean, come in for your tea, you'd have half o' Limerick running to your door.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              81,
              85
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2024 December 14, Elizabeth Wagmeister, “Jay-Z says inconsistencies in rape accuser’s story proves her attorney was looking for ‘money and fame’”, in CNN:",
          "text": "Jay-Z is doubling down on his denial that he ever raped a teenage girl alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs, saying that newly revealed inconsistencies in her story prove that her account is not credible.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A male given name from Irish."
      ],
      "id": "en-Sean-en-name-4FOS94Ik",
      "links": [
        [
          "given name",
          "given name"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "Evan"
        },
        {
          "word": "Ian"
        },
        {
          "word": "Ivan"
        },
        {
          "word": "Jon"
        },
        {
          "word": "Shane"
        },
        {
          "word": "Shaun"
        },
        {
          "word": "Shawn"
        },
        {
          "word": "Chavonne"
        },
        {
          "word": "Seana"
        },
        {
          "word": "Shauna"
        },
        {
          "word": "Shavonne"
        },
        {
          "word": "Shawna"
        },
        {
          "word": "Sheena"
        },
        {
          "word": "Síne"
        },
        {
          "word": "Sian"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "a male given name",
          "word": "Joan"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "Xiāoēn",
          "sense": "a male given name",
          "word": "肖恩"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "Giánnis",
          "sense": "a male given name",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Γιάννης"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "english": "Son",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "raw_tags": [
            "from English"
          ],
          "sense": "a male given name",
          "tags": [
            "transliteration"
          ],
          "word": "Σον"
        },
        {
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "roman": "shon",
          "sense": "a male given name",
          "word": "שׁוֹן"
        },
        {
          "code": "mt",
          "lang": "Maltese",
          "sense": "a male given name",
          "word": "Seaninu"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "Šon",
          "sense": "a male given name",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Шон"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "a male given name",
          "word": "Juan"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "enpr": "shôn"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ʃɔːn/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɔːn"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "shorn (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger)"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "Sian (female given name, cot–caught merger, father-bother merger)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "Sean"
}
{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ga",
        "3": "Seán"
      },
      "expansion": "Irish Seán",
      "name": "bor"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "Jehan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French Jehan",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "Johannes"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin Johannes",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc-koi",
        "3": "Ἰωάννης"
      },
      "expansion": "Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "he",
        "3": "יוֹחָנָן",
        "lit": "God is gracious",
        "tr": "Yōḥānān"
      },
      "expansion": "Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yōḥānān, literally “God is gracious”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "10": "Ivan",
        "11": "Shaun",
        "12": "Shane",
        "13": "Giovanni",
        "2": "John",
        "3": "Jack",
        "4": "Johan",
        "5": "Johann",
        "6": "Johannes",
        "7": "Jean",
        "8": "Ian",
        "9": "Evan"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of John, Jack, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Jean, Ian, Evan, Ivan, Shaun, Shane, and Giovanni",
      "name": "dbt"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Anglicised form of Irish Seán, from Old French Jehan, from Latin Johannes, variant of Ioannes, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yōḥānān, literally “God is gracious”).\nDoublet of John, Jack, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Jean, Ian, Evan, Ivan, Shaun, Shane, and Giovanni.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Seans",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Shaun",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Shawn",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Shohn",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "s"
      },
      "expansion": "Sean (plural Seans)",
      "name": "en-prop"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "name",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "Evan"
    },
    {
      "word": "Ian"
    },
    {
      "word": "Ivan"
    },
    {
      "word": "Jon"
    },
    {
      "word": "Shane"
    },
    {
      "word": "Shaun"
    },
    {
      "word": "Shawn"
    },
    {
      "word": "Chavonne"
    },
    {
      "word": "Seana"
    },
    {
      "word": "Shauna"
    },
    {
      "word": "Shavonne"
    },
    {
      "word": "Shawna"
    },
    {
      "word": "Sheena"
    },
    {
      "word": "Síne"
    },
    {
      "word": "Sian"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English doublets",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English given names",
        "English lemmas",
        "English male given names",
        "English male given names from Irish",
        "English proper nouns",
        "English terms borrowed from Irish",
        "English terms derived from Hebrew",
        "English terms derived from Irish",
        "English terms derived from Koine Greek",
        "English terms derived from Latin",
        "English terms derived from Old French",
        "English terms with homophones",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English uncountable nouns",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Rhymes:English/ɔːn",
        "Rhymes:English/ɔːn/1 syllable",
        "Terms with Catalan translations",
        "Terms with Greek translations",
        "Terms with Hebrew translations",
        "Terms with Maltese translations",
        "Terms with Mandarin translations",
        "Terms with Russian translations",
        "Terms with Spanish translations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              93,
              97
            ],
            [
              235,
              239
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1996, Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes, Harper Collins Publishers., →ISBN, page 203:",
          "text": "They sit by the fire smoking and talking about names. Mam says she likes the names Kevin and Sean but Bridey says, Ah no, there's too many of them in Limerick. Jesus, Angela, if you stuck your head out of the door and called, Kevin or Sean, come in for your tea, you'd have half o' Limerick running to your door.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              81,
              85
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2024 December 14, Elizabeth Wagmeister, “Jay-Z says inconsistencies in rape accuser’s story proves her attorney was looking for ‘money and fame’”, in CNN:",
          "text": "Jay-Z is doubling down on his denial that he ever raped a teenage girl alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs, saying that newly revealed inconsistencies in her story prove that her account is not credible.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A male given name from Irish."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "given name",
          "given name"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "enpr": "shôn"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ʃɔːn/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɔːn"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "shorn (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger)"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "Sian (female given name, cot–caught merger, father-bother merger)"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "a male given name",
      "word": "Joan"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "Xiāoēn",
      "sense": "a male given name",
      "word": "肖恩"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "Giánnis",
      "sense": "a male given name",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Γιάννης"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "english": "Son",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "raw_tags": [
        "from English"
      ],
      "sense": "a male given name",
      "tags": [
        "transliteration"
      ],
      "word": "Σον"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "roman": "shon",
      "sense": "a male given name",
      "word": "שׁוֹן"
    },
    {
      "code": "mt",
      "lang": "Maltese",
      "sense": "a male given name",
      "word": "Seaninu"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "Šon",
      "sense": "a male given name",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Шон"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "a male given name",
      "word": "Juan"
    }
  ],
  "word": "Sean"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-06-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-05-20 using wiktextract (3dadd05 and f1c2b61). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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