Sean

#11,932 for girls in 2025, 7 births · #489 for boys in 2025, 616 births
Given to boys 99.3% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1972 · 9,444 births
Debut · boys
7 births
In top 100 · boys
45 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
423,637
since 1925

Sean over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201986peak #33, 1972boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#11,9327#489616
2024#11,1228#435730
2023—#427741
2022—#397803
2021—#362900
2020#11,0908#334976
2019—#3011,128
2018#15,6825#2681,325
2017—#2511,481
2016#14,3316#2331,671
2015#13,0067#2101,895
2014—#1932,125
2013#8,13514#1852,203
2012#8,20814#1452,777
2011#11,1819#1253,192
2010#9,79011#1023,743
2009#8,88813#974,339
2008#5,27927#835,471
2007#10,81810#766,244
2006#6,12521#686,643
2005#4,82827#755,997
2004#4,49230#646,769
2003#3,86935#617,102
2002#4,76725#597,028
2001#3,70335#577,224
2000#2,85450#577,316
1999#3,31338#567,205
1998#3,42635#507,712
1997#2,45053#487,744
1996#2,59148#467,896
1995#2,39454#458,167
1994#2,16762#448,838
1993#1,92273#4210,176
1992#1,60096#4211,065
1991#1,85776#4011,182
1990#2,37452#3712,018
1989#1,58788#3911,895
1988#1,376103#3811,794
1987#1,47088#4011,455
1986#1,36095#3711,784
1985#1,33998#3811,455
1984#1,56572#4310,024
1983#1,31192#449,615
1982#1,76962#449,359
1981#1,80961#448,893
1980#2,04351#487,596
1979#1,91754#496,850
1978#2,05046#457,059
1977#2,02647#437,625
1976#1,79452#427,565
1975#1,58662#407,582
1974#1,57860#378,290
1973#1,62256#368,553
1972#1,57858#339,444
1971#1,37677#3610,510
1970#1,36976#3710,341
1969#1,25979#379,346
1968#1,14788#379,172
1967#1,39962#447,496
1966#1,36864#506,490
1965#1,85438#794,594
1964#1,91838#1183,010
1963#2,54323#1512,196
1962#2,81419#1711,837
1961#2,15030#1771,720
1960#2,57322#2021,421
1959#2,45822#2181,279
1958#3,23214#2471,011
1957#2,72718#271775
1956#2,32123#309575
1955#3,37712#336488
1954#3,49011#351416
1953#3,68710#356380
1952#3,37211#480212
1951#4,8336#546154
1950#3,42310#535162
1949#4,6736#601129
1948—#617120
1947#4,7646#70297
1946—#89055
1945—#89950
1944—#93547
1943—#96948
1942#4,6225#99145
1941—#1,15233
1940—#1,10735
1939#4,2505#1,53219
1938—#1,61318
1937—#1,99213
1936—#2,06212
1935—#2,12712
1934—#2,7428
1933—#3,0047
1932—#3,7765
1931——
1930—#3,2897
1929——
1928——
1927——
1926—#4,2015
1925—#3,4087
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First appearance
1925

The first year at least five boys were named Sean! It came in at #3,408, and was given to 7 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1926–1929, when fewer than 6 boys a year got the name.

Where Sean is popular in 1986

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #30 for boys · 47 births · 1 in 101 boysAKMaine: #48 for boys · 48 births · 1 in 151 boysMEVermont: #31 for boys · 36 births · 1 in 92 boysVTNew Hampshire: #35 for boys · 68 births · 1 in 103 boysNHWashington: #33 for boys · 286 births · 1 in 109 boysWAIdaho: #49 for boys · 42 births · 1 in 162 boysIDMontana: #40 for boys · 43 births · 1 in 121 boysMTNorth Dakota: #46 for boys · 34 births · 1 in 152 boysNDMinnesota: #47 for boys · 178 births · 1 in 173 boysMNIllinois: #40 for boys · 524 births · 1 in 152 boysILWisconsin: #52 for boys · 172 births · 1 in 193 boysWIMichigan: #37 for boys · 448 births · 1 in 142 boysMINew York: #28 for boys · 987 births · 1 in 124 boysNYMassachusetts: #27 for boys · 469 births · 1 in 84 boysMARhode Island: #23 for boys · 83 births · 1 in 72 boysRIOregon: #28 for boys · 183 births · 1 in 98 boysORNevada: #27 for boys · 68 births · 1 in 94 boysNVWyoming: #39 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 108 boysWYSouth Dakota: #53 for boys · 28 births · 1 in 171 boysSDIowa: #46 for boys · 118 births · 1 in 154 boysIAIndiana: #47 for boys · 213 births · 1 in 173 boysINOhio: #43 for boys · 517 births · 1 in 146 boysOHPennsylvania: #30 for boys · 750 births · 1 in 103 boysPANew Jersey: #27 for boys · 481 births · 1 in 99 boysNJConnecticut: #30 for boys · 219 births · 1 in 93 boysCTCalifornia: #29 for boys · 1,685 births · 1 in 135 boysCAUtah: #50 for boys · 108 births · 1 in 153 boysUTColorado: #35 for boys · 215 births · 1 in 117 boysCONebraska: #47 for boys · 69 births · 1 in 161 boysNEMissouri: #45 for boys · 232 births · 1 in 155 boysMOKentucky: #54 for boys · 110 births · 1 in 217 boysKYWest Virginia: #51 for boys · 55 births · 1 in 202 boysWVVirginia: #39 for boys · 248 births · 1 in 152 boysVAMaryland: #27 for boys · 276 births · 1 in 103 boysMDDelaware: #30 for boys · 45 births · 1 in 88 boysDEArizona: #31 for boys · 218 births · 1 in 125 boysAZNew Mexico: #43 for boys · 66 births · 1 in 172 boysNMKansas: #47 for boys · 101 births · 1 in 171 boysKSArkansas: #63 for boys · 54 births · 1 in 273 boysARTennessee: #62 for boys · 105 births · 1 in 298 boysTNNorth Carolina: #59 for boys · 141 births · 1 in 290 boysNCSouth Carolina: #49 for boys · 93 births · 1 in 227 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #23 for boys · 78 births · 1 in 96 boysDCOklahoma: #52 for boys · 114 births · 1 in 197 boysOKLouisiana: #45 for boys · 167 births · 1 in 204 boysLAMississippi: #82 for boys · 41 births · 1 in 416 boysMSAlabama: #80 for boys · 61 births · 1 in 414 boysALGeorgia: #51 for boys · 179 births · 1 in 247 boysGAHawaii: #25 for boys · 62 births · 1 in 105 boysHITexas: #52 for boys · 604 births · 1 in 242 boysTXFlorida: #31 for boys · 586 births · 1 in 130 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Rhode Island#23 · 1 in 72
  2. District of Columbia#23 · 1 in 96
  3. Hawaii#25 · 1 in 105
  4. Massachusetts#27 · 1 in 84
  5. Nevada#27 · 1 in 94

Best ever in a state: #16 in Hawaii, 1972.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
District of Columbia#23781 in 96
Rhode Island#23831 in 72
Hawaii#25621 in 105
Maryland#272761 in 103
Massachusetts#274691 in 84
Nevada#27681 in 94
New Jersey#274811 in 99
New York#289871 in 124
Oregon#281831 in 98
California#291,6851 in 135
Alaska#30471 in 101
Connecticut#302191 in 93
Delaware#30451 in 88
Pennsylvania#307501 in 103
Arizona#312181 in 125
Florida#315861 in 130
Vermont#31361 in 92
Washington#332861 in 109
Colorado#352151 in 117
New Hampshire#35681 in 103
Michigan#374481 in 142
Virginia#392481 in 152
Wyoming#39291 in 108
Illinois#405241 in 152
Montana#40431 in 121
New Mexico#43661 in 172
Ohio#435171 in 146
Louisiana#451671 in 204
Missouri#452321 in 155
Iowa#461181 in 154
North Dakota#46341 in 152
Indiana#472131 in 173
Kansas#471011 in 171
Minnesota#471781 in 173
Nebraska#47691 in 161
Maine#48481 in 151
Idaho#49421 in 162
South Carolina#49931 in 227
Utah#501081 in 153
Georgia#511791 in 247
West Virginia#51551 in 202
Oklahoma#521141 in 197
Texas#526041 in 242
Wisconsin#521721 in 193
South Dakota#53281 in 171
Kentucky#541101 in 217
North Carolina#591411 in 290
Tennessee#621051 in 298
Arkansas#63541 in 273
Alabama#80611 in 414
Mississippi#82411 in 416

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Sean
Momentum · boys
Falling
  • 54 spots since 2024 (#435 → #489)
  • 155 spots since 2020 (#334 → #489)
  • 279 spots since 2015 (#210 → #489)
  • Biggest jump: 188 spots in 1947 (#890 → #702)
  • Biggest drop: 54 spots in 2025 (#435 → #489)
Rise & fade · boys
47 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1925
  • Peaked 1972 at #33 (9,444 births)
  • Births halved by 2009, 37 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 45 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 45 yrs · run 1965–2009
  • Top 1,000: 84 yrs · run 1942–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 156
  • Highest: 1 in 156 boys born in 1986 were named Sean (0.64%)
  • Latest: 1 in 2,773 boys born in 2025 (0.04%)
  • Its best rank, #33 in 1972, was only 1 in 172 (0.58%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1980s
  • 24.5% of all boys named Sean (103,870) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1920s12#3,408 (1925)#3,805
1930s101#1,532 (1939)#2,460
1940s659#601 (1949)#886
1950s5,452#218 (1959)#365
1960s47,282#37 (1969)#107
1970s83,819#33 (1972)#40
1980s103,870#37 (1986)#42
1990s92,003#37 (1990)#45
2000s64,133#57 (2000)#70
2010s21,540#102 (2010)#201
2020s4,766#334 (2020)#407

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Sean in 1986

girls
#1,360
95 births · 1 in 18,058 girls
boys
#37
11,784 births · 1 in 156 boys

Top girls' names in 1986

  1. #1Jessica52,682
  2. #2Ashley49,671
  3. #3Amanda40,532
  4. #4Jennifer36,187
  5. #5Sarah28,163
  6. #6Stephanie22,651
  7. #7Nicole21,292
  8. #8Brittany20,313
  9. #9Heather19,790
  10. #10Elizabeth19,074
  11. #1,360Sean95

Top boys' names in 1986

  1. #1Michael64,235
  2. #2Christopher56,693
  3. #3Matthew46,929
  4. #4Joshua37,542
  5. #5David37,150
  6. #6Daniel36,573
  7. #7James34,057
  8. #8Andrew33,858
  9. #9Robert31,350
  10. #10John30,209
  11. #37Sean11,784
More about 1986

girls

1,715,547 girls got a published name in 1986; 1 in 18,058 of them was named Sean, which outranked 89.4% of the 12,836 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 18.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Sean
  1. #1,351Nellie96
  2. #1,351Shani96
  3. #1,351Valentina96
  4. #1,360Sean95
  5. #1,360Adina95
  6. #1,360Falon95
  7. #1,360Jeanie95
  8. #1,367Arianne94
  9. #1,367Brittnay94
  10. #1,367Carlee94

Tied with 6 names at #1,360; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1985
Risers
  1. ↑ 9,719Kyrie#10,677 → #958
  2. ↑ 4,778Sable#5,678 → #900
  3. ↑ 2,034Eliana#2,484 → #450
  4. ↑ 1,497Shatara#2,484 → #987
  5. ↑ 1,374Cherrelle#2,253 → #879
Fallers
  1. ↓ 442Violeta#963 → #1,405
  2. ↓ 361Micaela#545 → #906
  3. ↓ 361Tasia#572 → #933
  4. ↓ 324Jo#925 → #1,249
  5. ↓ 306Tammie#987 → #1,293

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,841,515 boys got a published name in 1986; 1 in 156 of them was named Sean, which outranked 99.5% of the 7,830 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 22.2% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Sean
  1. #34Charles12,625
  2. #35Mark12,615
  3. #36Stephen11,877
  4. #37Sean11,784
  5. #38Zachary11,725
  6. #39Patrick11,410
  7. #40Tyler10,912
Biggest movers since 1985
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,279Spenser#2,226 → #947
  2. ↑ 920Jayce#1,614 → #694
  3. ↑ 714Addison#1,228 → #514
  4. ↑ 649Payton#1,614 → #965
  5. ↑ 573Cordell#1,181 → #608
Fallers
  1. ↓ 409Ulises#877 → #1,286
  2. ↓ 365Eliot#934 → #1,299
  3. ↓ 322Jordy#998 → #1,320
  4. ↓ 313Trace#956 → #1,269
  5. ↓ 292Kennith#963 → #1,255

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1986 →