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Home › Baby Names Directory › Shannan

Shannan

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Shannan

Pronounced SHAN-uhn /ˈʃæn.ən/High

Meaning: Shannan is a variant of Shannon, taken from the Irish river Sionann, the longest river in Ireland, named for a goddess of the same name in Irish myth. Used here for boys, it belongs to the era when Shannon and its spellings crossed freely between the sexes in the United States.Low

In 30 seconds: Shannan is a spelling of Shannon, from Ireland's River Shannon (Irish Sionann), used here as a boy's name in the mid-century (said SHAN-uhn).
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Origin LowIrish
MeaningShannan is a variant of Shannon, taken from the Irish river Sionann, the longest river in Ireland, named for a goddess of the same name in Irish myth. Used here for boys, it belongs to the era when Shannon and its spellings crossed freely between the sexes in the United States.
U.S. rank (1999)#11339 ↘ Falling
1999 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1974
Total births (all-time)≈ 317

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 197819631999

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Shannan is a variant of Shannon, drawn from the Irish river Sionann, the island's longest, named in myth for a goddess who sought the salmon of knowledge. As a first name Shannon and its spellings moved between boys and girls in the twentieth-century United States, and the -an ending here gives it a slightly surname-like, masculine cast.

It was never common for boys, given to only a couple dozen a year around its mid-1970s high and fading after. A man named Shannan from then is now in his forties.

Did you know? The River Shannon takes its name from Sionann, a goddess of Irish legend, so this river-name has carried a mythic sense of wisdom since long before it became a given name.
Overall data confidence 50%
References - Shannan — Variant of Shannon < Irish river Sionann; used cross-sex mid-century

Variations

ShannonShanonShannen

Nicknames

ShanNan

Famous Bearers

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If you like Shannan…

Shannon— the standard spelling Shannan varies
Brennan— a like Irish surname-name for boys
Keegan— a similar Irish two-beat pick
Declan— another Irish boys' name of the feel

Explore names like Shannan

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Shannan mean?

It is a form of Shannon, from the Irish river Sionann, named for a goddess of Irish myth.

How do you pronounce Shannan?

It's said SHAN-uhn /ˈʃæn.ən/, two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Shannan a boy or girl name?

Here Shannan is used as a boy's name, though Shannon and its spellings have been given to both.

Is Shannan a popular name?

No, it has always been rare for boys, an uncommon spelling of Shannon.

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