Seán (Irish)
Where does "Seán" come from?
The Irish male given name 'Seán' is borrowed from Old French 'Jehan'[1]. This Old French form traces back through Latin 'Iōhannēs' and Ancient Greek 'Ἰωάννης'[1], which originated as a contraction of the Hebrew name 'יוֹחָנָן'[1] meaning 'God is gracious'[1]. Additionally, 'Seán' shares a doublet relationship with the Irish name 'Eoin'.
Full etymology tree
- Seán (Irish), 'a male given name from Old French, equivalent to English John or French Jean'
- borrowed Jehan (Old French), 'a male given name, equivalent to English John'
- inherited Iohannes (Latin), 'Late Latin form of Iōannēs'
- borrowed Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs) (Ancient Greek), 'a male given name from Hebrew, equivalent to English John'
- derived יוחנן (yōḥānān) (Hebrew), 'a male given name, equivalent to English John'
- compound יְהוֹ- (yeho-) (Hebrew)
- compound חנן (khanán) (Hebrew), 'to pardon, grant amnesty'
- derived יוחנן (yōḥānān) (Hebrew), 'a male given name, equivalent to English John'
- borrowed Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs) (Ancient Greek), 'a male given name from Hebrew, equivalent to English John'
- inherited Iohannes (Latin), 'Late Latin form of Iōannēs'
- borrowed Jehan (Old French), 'a male given name, equivalent to English John'
Ancestors
- Jehan (Old French)
- Iohannes (Latin)
- Ἰωάννης (Ancient Greek)
Cognates and doublets
- Eoin (Irish)
Descendants and derived words
- Sean (English)
- Shane (English)
- Shaun (English)
- Shawn (English)
- Shon (English)
- Shon (English)
- Seáinín (Irish)
- Seán na gealaí (Irish)
Sources
- Seán (Irish) - Wiktionary
- Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
- Jehan (Old French) - Wiktionary
- יוחנן (yōḥānān) (Hebrew) - Wiktionary
- חנן (khanán) (Hebrew) - Wiktionary
- Ἰωάννα (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris