Sean is an
Irish Language name. It is Irish borrowing of the Norman French Jean.
Anglicisations of the name comprise Sean, Shane, Shayne, Shan, Shon, Shaine and
Shawn. The name Shane comes from the Ulster pronunciation of the name, while
the names Shaun, Shawn or Sean come from the way it is prominent in Munster,
Leinster and Connacht.
In 1066, the
Norman duke, William the Conqueror overpowered England, where the Norman French
name Jehan/Johan came to be.
In 1066, the
Norman duke, William the Conqueror conquered England, where the Norman French
name Jehan / Johan (pronounced [dʒɛˈan]) came to be
pronounced Jean, and spelled John. The Norman from the Welsh Marches, with the
Norman King of England's mandate conquered Ireland in the 1170s. The Irish
nobility was put back by Norman nobles, some of whom bore the Norman French
name Johan or the Anglicised name John. The Irish adapted the name to their own
pronunciation and spelling, producing the name Seán.
Sean is usually
pronounced Shawn (Seán), but in the northern parts of Ireland, it is said
"Shan", "Shen" or "Shayn", thus leading to the
variant Shane.
