ninan.org

Sean

Boys' name · Millennial-era

Living in the US
~400,300 survival-weighted estimate
2025 rank
#489 among boys
Births in 2025
623 426,606 since 1880
Typical age
37 years, median

Sean popularity over time

Sean rank by birth year, 1925–2025Sean ranked #3,408 in 1925 and #489 in 2025. Its best rank in the period was #33, in 1972.#100#1,000#489best #33 in 197219401960198020002020
Rank among US baby names by birth year, 1925–2025. Lower is more popular; the scale is logarithmic so the top of the chart is not compressed.

Sean was used most in 1990, when 12,070 babies were given the name. 1925 is the earliest year with at least five recorded births. Across the record, 45 years put Sean in the top 100.

As of 2025 the name sits at #489, with 623 births that year. Over ten years the count has fallen 67%. It slipped 54 places against the previous year.

Babies named Sean per yearPeaks at 12,070 births in 1990.12,070 in 1990019401960198020002020
Recorded US births by year. The peak is labelled; the axis starts at zero.

How many people are named Sean?

Roughly 400,300 Seans are alive in the US right now. SSA has recorded 426,606 births under the name since 1880.

This is a survival-weighted estimate, not a headcount: every recorded birth year is multiplied by the chance someone born that year is still alive, using the SSA period life table. How the estimate works.

How old is the average Sean?

The typical living Sean is 37 years old. Most living bearers were born in the 1980s. By the site’s era rules that makes Sean a millennial-era name.

Your Sean

Ages of living people named SeanHalf of living Seans are older than 37 and half younger.median 37020406080100
Estimated living bearers by age today. Each bar is a birth year, weighted by the chance someone born then is still alive.

Where Sean is most common

Relative to births, Massachusetts carries 2.5× the national share of Seans. Connecticut, New Jersey and Delaware follow.

Where Sean is used more than average5 states use the name Sean more than the national average.Alaska: not over-representedAKMaine: not over-representedMEVermont: not over-representedVTNew Hampshire: not over-representedNHWashington: not over-representedWAIdaho: not over-representedIDMontana: not over-representedMTNorth Dakota: not over-representedNDMinnesota: not over-representedMNIllinois: not over-representedILWisconsin: not over-representedWIMichigan: not over-representedMINew York: not over-representedNYOregon: not over-representedORNevada: not over-representedNVWyoming: not over-representedWYSouth Dakota: not over-representedSDIowa: not over-representedIAIndiana: not over-representedINOhio: not over-representedOHPennsylvania: not over-representedPANew Jersey: 2.1× the national rateNJConnecticut: 2.2× the national rateCTRhode Island: not over-representedRICalifornia: not over-representedCAUtah: not over-representedUTColorado: not over-representedCONebraska: not over-representedNEMissouri: not over-representedMOKentucky: not over-representedKYWest Virginia: not over-representedWVVirginia: not over-representedVAMaryland: 1.9× the national rateMDDelaware: 2.1× the national rateDEMassachusetts: 2.5× the national rateMAArizona: not over-representedAZNew Mexico: not over-representedNMKansas: not over-representedKSArkansas: not over-representedARTennessee: not over-representedTNNorth Carolina: not over-representedNCSouth Carolina: not over-representedSCDistrict of Columbia: not over-representedDCOklahoma: not over-representedOKLouisiana: not over-representedLAMississippi: not over-representedMSAlabama: not over-representedALGeorgia: not over-representedGAHawaii: not over-representedHITexas: not over-representedTXFlorida: not over-representedFL
Same as national3× or more
Location quotient, 2016–2025. Shaded states use the name more than the country does, relative to their own births. Exact figures are in the table below.
States where Sean is over-represented, 2016–2025. The location quotient compares the state's share of the name with the national share.
StateBirthsvs national rate
Massachusetts 392 2.5×
Connecticut 171 2.2×
New Jersey 495 2.1×
Delaware 36 2.1×
Maryland 276 1.9×

Sean in England and Wales

In England and Wales, Sean ranked #615 in 2025 on 61 births.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Counts below three are suppressed by ONS.

Where the name Sean comes from

Anglicised form of Irish Seán, from Old French Jehan, from Latin Johannes, variant of Ioannes, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης, from Hebrew יוֹחָנָן.

Etymology summarised from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wiktionary entry.

Notable people named Sean

Ordered by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article about them — a measure of reach, not of importance.
NameKnown forYearsEditions
Sean Connery Scottish actor 1930–2020 144
Sean Penn American actor 1960 100
Sean Bean British actor 1959 71
Sean Combs American rapper and producer 1969 68
Sean Astin American actor 1971 57
Sean Paul Jamaican dancehall singer and rapper 1973 56
Sean Hayes American actor 1970 48
Sean Kingston American singer 1990 46
Photo credits (8)

The sharpest rise. Births under this name jumped from 3,048 in 1964 to 4,632 in 1965 — 1.5 times over in a single year.

Birth records contain the rise and nothing about its cause. This site does not supply one.

People and dates from Wikidata (CC0), limited to those with an English Wikipedia article who are known by this name as their first name.

Related pages

Get this data

Every number on this page is available as JSON: /api/name/sean.json. Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0).