Male name
Shane
6,774 births (England and Wales, 1996–2025), peaking in 1996. Expression number: 2.
Origin
Anglicized form of the Northern Irish pronunciation of Irish Seán, from Old French Jehan, from Latin Johannes, variant of Ioannes, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yōḥānān, literally “God is gracious”). Doublet of John, Jack, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Jean, Juan, João, Ian, Evan, Ivan, Sean, Shaun, and Giovanni as a male name. Doublet of Ivana, Jana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena as a female name.From Wiktionary, entry “Shane”, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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How many babies received it
From the official birth registers.
In England and Wales
Peak in 1996: 849 births. 6,774 births from 1996 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1990s and 2000s. At its peak, it ranked 74th among boys' names in 1996. It is still given: 184 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the United States
Peak in 1973: 5,931 births. 196,166 births from 1880 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. At its peak, it ranked 54th among boys' names in 1973. It really came into use around 1941. It is still given: 2,670 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, public domain.
In Ireland
Peak in 1988: 830 births. 22,075 births from 1964 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. At its peak, it ranked 3rd among boys' names in 1996. It is still given: 240 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies' Names, CC BY 4.0.
Elsewhere in the world
The name in the birth records of the 10 countries we track. The period covered varies from country to country.
| Country | Births | Period | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quebec | 547 | 1980–2025 | — |
| Switzerland | 404* | 1915–2025 | — |
* These are the people living in the country, counted by year of birth, not the number of births.
Source: Retraite Québec, Banque de prénoms, CC BY 4.0; Federal Statistical Office, First names of the population by year of birth, free use with attribution.
The numbers of the name
Each letter has a value: A = 1, B = 2… I = 9, then J = 1 again (Pythagorean method). We add them up, then reduce to a single digit, except 11, 22 and 33.
■ vowel · ■ consonant
Expression
All the letters: talents, the way you act.
2
cooperation, sensitivity, connection
1 + 8 + 1 + 5 + 5 = 20 → 2
Soul
The vowels: what drives you deep down.
6
responsibility, harmony, commitment to others
1 + 5 = 6
Personality
The consonants: what others notice first.
5
freedom, change, movement
1 + 8 + 5 = 14 → 5
- Digits missing from the name
- 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9
- Most frequent digit
- 1 · initiative, independence, beginnings
The meaning of the numbers comes from numerological tradition; it isn't a measure of your personality. A full portrait needs your first and middle names, your last name at birth, and your date of birth. How we calculate
Your name and theirs
The number of each name, and the number of the bond, which comes from adding them together. A symbolic game: what your two names say together, to be read as a metaphor, not as a verdict on your relationship.