Name Shannon Origin, meaning, pronunciation & popularity of the name Shannon

Shannon is a ♀ girl’s name and ♂ boy’s name. Shannon thus belongs to the gender-neutral unisex names.

Origin of the name Shannon

Shannon is an Anglicized form of the Irish name Sionainn. The given name derived from the name of the longest river of Ireland (Abha an tSionainn). Shannon was originally a boy’s name but is today more commonly used for girls. The goddess of the river Shannon is called Sinann, she is the granddaughter of the Sea-God Lir in Irish mythology.

What is the meaning of the name Shannon?

Shannon means “old river” and “wise river” (from Old Irish “sen” = old/ancient + “abann” = river), but as well “possessor or wisdom”. Because the suffix “-ain” indicates a diminutive in Irish, the name is often mistranslated as “little wise one”.

Pronunciation of Shannon

Variants of the name Shannon