Sean

Yes, it’s spelled like seen, but who cares? And as someone said below, spelling it Shawn is just wrong, Sean definitely adds to the appeal. Although I have Irish ancestry so I am biased. But I will say this, it’s unfortunately another name that has fallen victim to the “male names on girls” trend. Like for real, Sean is the Gaelic version of John, and why would you name a girl John?

Sean is a great name that is used by many different races and nationalities.

I love the name Sean. Although I like the “Shawn”, spelling as well, I have to admit, I prefer this spelling. I think both spellings work fine regardless of gender. I like the length and soft tone of the name. The meaning “God is gracious” is beautiful. Also, Sean Penn is my favorite actor, so that helps too.

My name is Sean, and I think that if your name is Sean, you've probably went through this: People are always calling you SEEN. For some reason their primitive brains think that it's funny to intentionally mispronounce your name. "Have you seen SEEN!?" Personally, I think that the spelling of the name Shawn is just plain wrong. Sean is a lot simpler and just cooler looking. Spelling your name how you pronounce it is unnecessary. In elementary school, when I wrote my name on a paper for a substitute teacher, I would have to write (pronounced Shawn) next to my name so that they wouldn't be taking attendance and say "SEEN?" to which everyone would burst out laughing. Sean is superior, and there is nothing you can say to make me change my mind.

Along with this, saying the name is the classiest version is subjective. I say this as a Sean myself, the name has been anglicized.

I'm American and have met plenty of Seáns and Shauns, and I didn't understand how anyone could get it wrong but after a couple of years of analyzing, I think the people who pronounce Seán as "seen" are mainly from the Westcoast or the mid-states because I'm from the Eastcoast and that's the part of America that has the most Irish influence which is why there are a few Seáns here and it's normal!
However, it seems like that name is dying now (in the states) because of people not knowing how to pronounce things... just like how the Polish immigrants had to change their names.

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This is why you don't feed ignorance people! Either accept that people have names related to their language or admit you're not good at pronouncing things. And don't tell people to name their kid a certain way just because you have a convenient speech impediment.

I love this name so much its so hot and sexy I love all the Seans out there, please marry me.

Terrible, confusing spelling. Irish names are weird.

This is an anglicization. The original spelling is Seán. You cannot just forget about the fada.

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Seán is the Irish form of John. "Sean" (no fada) is Irish for "old". Oops.

@thezenithofnadir

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Wait a second, hold the phone. My younger brother's name is Sean Robert! I guess my parents choose well.

Wow, this comment section is a bit mentally delayed I think. Sean is the original and correct spelling of the name. I don't care if your puny white trash American brain can't comprehend the pronunciation. This version will always be the classiest and most handsome version so shut up.

My little brother is named Sean. It annoys me that everyone says it’s “Seen”. Yeah, that’s how it looks, but “Pharmacy” looks like “P-Har-Macy” and words like that. The spelling is different. It’s pronounced “Shawn”. Please, just get over it. I think Sean is a very nice name, though forgive me when I say I don’t really imagine a girl having it.

This is my middle name and it is spelled "SEAN" it also means "John" in Irish and I'm Irish.

I think it could be a girl's name and pronounced as SEEN. Sinny and Sunny is a good diminutive of a girl name Sean.

It's SEEN! How do you get an H out of E? Very stupid spelling.

Simple and elegant name. Sean, just a nice name.

Wonderful name.

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I know around 4 boys in my country with this name. They pronounce it SHAHN.

I used to have a habit of pronouncing this as “seen”. I much prefer Shawn. At least stuff like that would be prevented.

The pronunciation makes no sense, take the famous bearer Sean Bean, his name either needs to be pronounced Seen Been or Shaun Born, it is logically inconsistent to pronounce it Shaun Bean.

Your first thought might be: This is pronounced "Seen". No, it is pronounced "Shawn", another spelling. I like this a lot for a boy. Dislike Shawn.

A certain meme has been going around about “seen” and I find it offensive because my family is Irish, and my name is also Irish, but if I met someone named Sean Bean, then there is a slight chance I would say Sean Bawn.

Ew, no, looks like Seen.

I was reading through these because I wanted to hear what people thought of the name I bear, and saw that the first ones were written in 2005, the year I was born. That made me very happy for some reason.

My name is Sean Jr. Yet I'm Native American and so is my dad. It's overall a great name for all ethnicities!

This name is bland and boring. Everyone says “seen” and the actual pronunciation of it is just as ugly. Source: I was given this name and hated it so I now go by another name. It doesn’t help that I have an Irish last name so I felt like some stereotype from Ireland.

Sean is a very nice name for a boy. A lovely way around the name "John". However, it is somewhat common. You might want to think twice before naming your child this, but it is overall a cool name. :)

Shawn is much better in my opinion.

This is pronounced like Seen and you can't convince me otherwise.

Shawn is much better. I pronounce it "seen".

This name is on its way to becoming dated in the United States (not sure if it's like that in Ireland, the U.K., or elsewhere), but I don't mind. I've always liked Sean. And honestly I prefer the look of Sean to Shaun or Shawn, but that's because I usually think names look better in their original languages than in Anglicizations, even if the latter makes much more sense in English. My own connection to my Irish ancestry is tenuous at best (Irish-Canadian dude came to America at the turn of the 20th century and married a French Canadian woman in Wisconsin), but I've still always wanted to see Ireland. And honestly, Sean is ubiquitous enough (without necessarily becoming "tired") that even using the original spelling doesn't look like someone's aping Irish culture.

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That said... actor Sean Bean's name makes me laugh. Shawn Bawn? Seen Bean? :-P.

Okay I'm sorry but I do not like this name because of the way it is spelled. Whenever I read the name Sean I pronounce it as "seen" and it just looks weird. But personality wise, people named Sean are usually super chill and nice. Have a great day everyone! :)

I actually don’t really like this name because the spelling is not preferred by many. I also have this friend who is a real mean person named Sean. :3 Heehee.

This spelling is okay. I prefer the Shaun spelling a little more.

All females with a boy’s first name like Shawn should feel unique. It’s actually better if you women have male names as first names which is unique while your middle names are feminine and ununique. Shawn Elizabeth! Isn’t that cute?

Beautiful name, strong and warm, and I love the Irish spelling of it.

A great strong masculine Irish name. If your kid isn't male or Irish I see no good reason to use this name.

This is a pretty good name.

I have mixed feelings about this name. On the one hand, it makes me think of corrupt newscaster/conservative moron Sean Hannity. On the other hand, it makes me think of Sean, a.k.a. Jacksepticeye, and he's cool! I tend to think of the latter more, so I might consider this name.

I am a female Sean. I suspect that my name has often played in my favor when applying for jobs or school. On several job interviews I had the somewhat satisfying experience of being contacted via email after posting a resume, then getting to see my potential employer desperately scan the waiting room in which I am the sole occupant, reliably followed by “you’re not Sean, right?” Once I got the “you’re not what I expected.” Makes me wonder if they would have considered me if they had known I was a woman. When I was accepted to my graduate program, one of my professors said with dismay “Another girl? We thought you were a guy!” Gotcha!

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Male patients give me guff about my name and it really ticks me off. In the same week I had a Gen Y hipster and a snooty baby boomer ask how I spell my name, whereupon they proceeded to mansplain: “well, that’s actually the male variant of that name.” Sue me.

As a Sean growing up in the USA, it was not always that common of a name - If a new Sean came around it was easy to rename them with a nickname, or Sean2, or simply _lastname_. After moving to NL, no one knows how to pronounce this, ever, but it's always a good craic when you have UK/IE friends, it's still not that common. After moving to IE... My head is either going to explode or fall off the swivel, or both (I'm betting on both). I'm gonna have to start teaching people my last name as this is not doable.

I like the name Sean.

This is my half brother's name. His name is Sean Patrick. I like it, but I prefer his conformation name Robert. Sean Robert sounds powerful.

I pronunce this name "SHAHN" and not "SHAWN".

I love being a Sean. I√e always loved my name and wouldn't change it for the world. All Sean's are leaders, whether they know it or not. By the way, our name is NOT pronounced "Seen". It is not funny, and we've heard it before. Everyone, have an awesome day!

I love the name- my brother is named this. It is such a nice name but we all hate when he is called seen.

I really like this name. I just hate the meaning (God's gracious gift). I think the meaning "gracious gift" is nice, though.

I see a sturdy, yet welcoming young lady.

Don't name your kid this.

Sean is a common name but I still think it sounds very unique, the only downside of this name is that it doesn't have any nickname alternatives.

The name Sean is great. A picture of a tall kind boy comes to mind when I hear this name.

Don't mind the name but can't stand this spelling. It bugs me. Looks nothing how it's supposed to be pronounced and I honestly don't care that "Sean" is in fact the traditional spelling. I'm not denying that. I just dislike the spelling. It really doesn't help the fact that EVERY "Sean" I have come across have been full throttle jerks or little boys soon to be jerks or spoiled brats. I've experienced that way too often. I get a whole different other vibe from "Shawn" and "Shaun".

Probably the most widely understood and accepted Irish name used in the United States. I personally get really annoyed when non-Irish people use Irish names for their children, (ex:Liam, Niamh) but I don't really mind Sean.

For me the name Sean completely depends on regional dialect in the US. In New York it's pronounced totally different than it is in Florida. I have a cousin named Sean and think it's a perfectly fine name.

Sean is a really cool name, I think it suits all ages.

This is a weird spelling. When I was little, I used to think it was pronounced "Seen", and always thought it was a bit dumb. But when my older brother told me the right pronunciation, I grew to like it. It's a neat name.

Sean is a cool name for a guy or a girl. If you're a girl you should spell it Seanne.

Sean is a good name. It I think should be spelled (Shawn) but I have a little brother with this name, he spells it (Sean) so that is how I think of it. I think it is nice because Sean's are always unpredictable people - in a good way.

Thank God I was born before Sean Connery played James Bond. Sean means "Old Man", Seán means "Gift from God" or the Irish form of John. My Mom wrote Sean & Shawn on a piece of paper and asked "How would you pronounce this?" People answered SEE-ann & SHAWN, so I'm Shawn. Seán pronounced Shawn is John; why would you call a girl John?

I think the name Sean is very odd! I don't like it, it's one of the most ugly names I've ever heard sorry.

I'm aware that sometimes accents over letters make pronunciations confusing for some but Sean instead of Seán is unexceptable. The reason it's unexceptable is because Sean with no fáda in Irish, meaning old, is pronounced Shan (rhymes with Ann).

I hate the name Sean. I think it is boring. There is nothing special about that name!

I used to really hate this name but thanks to Britney Spears' son Sean Preston, I've really started liking it.

I love it. Simple and strong.

I like this name a lot. It's very sexy, strong and masculine.

I really dislike the spelling of this name. I know that it is an Irish name, but in English it just seems so wrong. It looks like: aaaahhhh I just sean a ghost! ha ha ha.

Sean is the name of my cousin, and he is such a gentleman and so cool that I shall always like this name. However, I don't think this should be a girl's name. If you like the sound of this name and want to use it for a girl, spell it S-h-a-w-n.

I like this name! Sean sounds so unique and cool. It reminds me of a handsome, attractive guy who is always the center of attraction and has a great individuality, never influenced by the atmosphere.

The comments here are really nice about the name Sean. I'm a Sean but I've never really liked my name, but I guess it must just be me.

Whenever I meet a Sean, he always seems to be a great, handsome guy. So I always think of a Sean as a nice, easy-going, sweet guy.