Shannon

Meaning of Shannon

Shannon, pronounced SHAN-uhn, descends from the Old Irish Sionainn—name of Ireland’s longest river and, in myth, of the goddess who sought the Well of Knowledge—so the etymological subtext is literally “flowing with wisdom.” First recorded in U.S. birth data in 1912, the name drifted along modestly until a sudden hydrological spike carried it into the national top-20 for girls in 1976–1978, after which its frequency ebbed in a classic boom-and-bust pattern; recent counts place it around rank 843, making it familiar yet statistically scarce. Technically unisex, Shannon has seen heavier historical use for daughters, but modern numbers show enough male registrations to keep the label gender-balanced—a practical feature in an era fond of neutral credentials. Cultural associations span the academic (information-theory pioneer Claude Shannon), the media (journalist Shannon Bream), and the geographical (Shannon Airport, gateway to the Atlantic), giving parents a menu of conversation-starters. In sum, the name offers Celtic pedigree, clear phonetics, and the quiet advantage of being common enough to spell yet rare enough to stand out—an efficient design, if you will, for a human identifier.