Shannon (given name)

Shannon ("old river") is an Irish name, Anglicised from Sionainn. Alternative spellings include Shannen, Shanon, Shannan, Seanan, and Siannon. The variant Shanna is an Anglicisation of Sionna.

For other uses, see Shannon (disambiguation).
Shannon
PronunciationSHAN-non
GenderMostly female, but also unisex
Language(s)Irish
Origin
Meaning"wise river"
Region of originIreland
Other names
Alternative spellingSionainn, Seanan, Siannon, Shannen, Shanon, Shannan
Variant form(s)Shan, Shana, Shanna
Nickname(s)Shan, Non
DerivedSionainn

Sionainn derives from the Irish name Abha na tSionainn for the River Shannon.[1] Because the suffix ain indicates a diminutive in Irish, the name is sometimes mistranslated as 'little wise one', but means 'possessor of wisdom'.

Some derive the denomination of Shannon (Irish: Sionnain) from the phrase sean-amhan or "old river." [2] Another reported derivation is from Ó Seanaigh, "descendant of Seanach," which yielded the surnames Shanahan and Shannon.[3]

Namesake

The name Sionainn alludes to Sionna, a goddess in Irish mythology whose name means 'possessor of wisdom'. She is the namesake and matron of Sionainn, the River Shannon. Sionainn is the longest river in Ireland.[4]

Sionainn is one of seven rivers of knowledge said to flow from Connla's Well, the well of wisdom in the Celtic Otherworld (the realm of the dead). Legends vary about the creation of the river, but they all recount the drowning of the Sionna, granddaughter of the great sea god Lir, usually at an undersea well. [5]

According to the legend, nine sacred hazel[6] (or, by some accounts, rowan[7]) trees grow near the well, and drop their bright red fruit in it and on the ground.[8] In the well live the Salmon of Knowledge, whose wisdom comes from eating this fruit. By eating the fruit or one of the salmon, one can share in this wisdom.

Shortened forms

Shana and Shanna occur as familiar diminutives or forms of Shannon [9] or Sionna.

Popularity

In the United States, the name first appeared on the United States's SSA[10] in 1881 for males. It later gained popularity as a feminine name in 1937. During the 1970s, American parents began to confer the name on boys and girls alike. It was during this time that the name's popularity peaked in the United States. In the 1990 United States Census, Shannon was the 317th most common name for American males.

Irish emigrants may have popularized the name due to their nostalgia for Ireland.[11] After Shannon became a popular unisex name in the United States, Irish parents, too, began to give newborn boys this name.

People with the given name Shannon (or alternate spelling of the name)

Shannon

Shana
Fictional characters

Shanna
Fictional characters

Male

See also

References
  1. Campbell, Mike. "Shannon". Behind the Name. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  2. Wood, Thomas. An Inquiry concerning the Primitive Inhabitants of Ireland. London, 1821. 117. Print.
  3. "Shannon Name Meaning & Origin". Baby Name Wizard. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  4. Cooper, Aiveen (2011). The River Shannon: A Journey Down Ireland's Longest River. Cork: Collins Press. p. 6. ISBN 9781848891074. OCLC 751791624.
  5. Bulik, Mark. The Sons of Molly Maguire: The Irish Roots of America's First Labor War. Fordham University Press, 2015. Print.
  6. Domhnaill, Fadó. Tales of Lesser Known Irish History. Leicestershire, UK: Matador, 2013. 7.
  7. Fuchs, Elinor; Chaudhuri, Una, eds. (2002). Land/Scape/Theater. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. p. 65. ISBN 0-472-06720-6. OCLC 49618732. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  8. O'Grady, Standish (1878). History of Ireland: The Heroic Period. Library of English Literature. London: Sampson, Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington. OCLC 28088025.
  9. Lansky, Bruce. 10,000 Baby Names. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1985. 65. Print.
  10. popular name list
  11. "Traditional Irish Girls' Names: A-C". www.dochara.com. 2008-11-30. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
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