Unisex name · since 1931
Shawn
306,542 babies named Shawn in U.S. Social Security records since 1931, with the highest year being 1971. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #118 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #682 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 306,542
- born since 1931
- 1970s
- peak decade
306,542 babies have been named Shawn since 1931, making it today's #682 unisex name.
Shawn has 306,542 recorded births among boys since 1931, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #682 as of the latest data, more common than 95% of boys, busiest in the 1970s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1931 to 2025.
- #118 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #682 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 306,542 born since 1931
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shawn ranks #118 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #682 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 306,542 born since 1931, peaking in the 1970s.
- #118 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #682 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 306,542
- born since 1931
- 1970s
- peak decade
Shawn's 306,542 recorded births place it above 99.74% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Shawn compares
306,542 Top 1% higher than 99% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Shawn's all-time total is 831x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Shawn | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 306,542 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 12,825 | 34 | 22,252 |
Shawn's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Shawn splits its recorded history at 1980: 48% of all births land in the more recent half, 52% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1936 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1971 peak of 12,825 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Shawn popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1931–2025
- Peak year (1971)
- 12,825
- Annual births at peak, across 95 years of records
Shawn popularity over time - girls
33,055 total births recorded since 1932 (Shawn as girls' name)
Shawn by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (105,790 births, 35% of the file).
1970s was Shawn's strongest decade.
105,790 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 35% of all-time use.
Shawn births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 40
1930s
40 births
- 1940s 459
1940s
459 births
- 1950s 6,460
1950s
6,460 births
- 1960s
1960s
47,795 births
- 1970s
1970s
105,790 births
- 1980s
1980s
65,598 births
- 1990s
1990s
42,483 births
- 2000s 24,198
2000s
24,198 births
- 2010s 10,673
2010s
10,673 births
- 2020s 3,046
2020s
3,046 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 105,790 births (35% of all-time use).
How Shawn compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Shawn's total volume
Shawn by state
Where Shawn concentrates geographically, total births since 1931
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 26,499 | 8.6% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 22,845 | 7.5% |
| #3 | New York | | 21,768 | 7.1% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 19,782 | 6.5% |
| #5 | Texas | | 14,783 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Florida | | 12,532 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 12,448 | 4.1% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 11,919 | 3.9% |
26,499 of 306,542 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Shawn appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Shawn? ▼
Where does Shawn sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Shawn most popular? ▼
Where is Shawn most popular? ▼
Is Shawn a unisex name? ▼
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What to do with Shawn's data
- Shawn's decade-level peak was the 1970s (105,790 total births); usage has since declined to 3,046 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Shawns (26,499 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Shawn
Nearby Names Like Shawn
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shawn
Compare Shawn side by side: Shawn vs Shane Shawn vs Shaun Shawn vs Shannon
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Shawn
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Shawn: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1971)
Similar record span (~94 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1931–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Shawn draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.