Shawn

In 1957 my English middle class parents named me their first born daughter SHAWN ALISON nee VARNEY...
I am now 65!
I do not know what they were thinking!
I hate it, I feel people's assumption is I must have had a sex change.
As a child I was less aware how psychologically damaging it was as people generally did not saddle their babies with odd offbeat bizarre names as they do today following celebrity trends.
I longed to have a feminine pretty name even though I am a very strong independent individual.
My parents told me (& apologised) saying it was because I was born at dawn and Shawn is Irish for John my father's name.
When they both died c.13yrs ago I decided as a childminder & then Foster carer I moved the 'A' from Alison to call myself Shawna professionally more acceptable and of course personally.
It is interesting most people have said to me they liked my name Shawn as it's different. I do not recall any unwanted comments.
I am aware I have hated it more the older I have become.
Hence my children are Benjamin and Olivia (normal names for a boy and girl). Not the other way around as I have been saddled with?

Horrible low-class bastardization of Sean.

Name a girl Shawna instead!

Definitely better for a boy! I could never see this as a girl's name.

I prefer this name for boys, not girls. Same with Dylan and Alex.

Shawn is a good name, giving you the strength to do the hard things in life. Shaun makes more sense then Sean, I admit. But spelling doesn't make a dent in the meaning: Strength.

I like this name. I don't like the spelling Sean because it looks like it should be pronounced "seen". Shawn is a cool name. One nice combination is Shawn Matthew.

Shawn is a nice name, but I much prefer the spelling Sean!

Yuck.

It's a decent name. I much prefer Sean.

Listen, I am a female, my name is “Shawn” and I’ve lived with the name my entire life. It’s grown on me through the years, I must say...LOL.

In my opinion, this makes a lot more sense than spelling it as Sean. The name is decent at most.

As a Shawn in this changing time, I have to say the name and its tree tells a lot about the truth of life. I am also a Driscoll. Which means I am a messenger. And as the messages are revealed I stand in awe.

God is gracious what a wonderful thing! As a Shawn I'm proud and welcome all females to use it as well!

It's nice, but it's rather common where I live. I like it more than Shaun. Hate it on a girl, though.

It's a good name and way better than Shane.

I love this name. I think of Shawn from Psych but also because of a teacher in elementary school her name was Shawne Cassidy she told me to believe in myself and that I could be whatever I wanted. However I think it's more for a boy.

This is the spelling that I see the most, but I prefer the Shaun spelling.

I love the name Shawn mostly for a boy. It’s more masculine than feminine to me. For a girl, it’s kinda cute too. I don’t mind boy names on girls. If I was a girl named Shawn, I would still feel happy, especially if I still act in the traditional feminine way, especially if I had a feminine middle name that’s NOT unique, like Shawn Olivia.

Hey I am Shawn Patrich Aloysius and the names just roll off your tongue. If you want perfection in a name I bear it and wouldn’t change it for the world.

Not a fan of the name Sean, but the "Shawn" spelling of the name just looks so ugly.

This makes way more sense than the spelling "Sean".

As a child I had a male friend named Shawn. I never considered it a feminine name at the time. Later I became aware of the spelling Sean but didn't know the pronunciation was the same before I was informed that it was the masculine way to spell the name... maybe also that it was the Irish spelling related to Gaelic origins. (never verified this). I have seen it spelled as Shaun, which I would definitely consider as a male spelling. I now have a female friend named Shawn and it seems natural to me... so to recap, Shawn seems comfortable as either gender, Shaun seems masculine and Sean definitely masculine... although I'm sure there are women who spell it Sean or even Seanne. Definitely better than "Moesha" that always makes me cringe as I consider it to be Mo-sha... not Mo-ee-sha as is the accepted pronunciation.

I honestly love one of the alternate spellings, a very uncommon one, Shaughn. Although Shawn is a handsome, not-too-hard-to-pronounce name, it also happens to be the name of a Canadian singer/songwriter, Shawn Mendes, and he is quite an amazing young man. I personally have never met a girl named Shawn, I have only found it masculine, and I am friends with a boy whose name is spelled 'Sean', and because the spelling is unique, sometimes we pronounce it funny to differentiate from other Shawn's. I love the name, regardless.

My name is Shawn and I never spell it Sean. That is how the boys spell it (Sean). I spell my name Shawn.

I'm a girl Shawn! I've never heard of any girls spelling it Sean. Love my name because it's different. :)

I am a female named Shawn. I've gotten used to the name. Back in the early 70's, I got a draft notice when I turned 18. I still manage to find it humorous to see the nurse's or assistant's face when they yell into the waiting room, "Mr." so and so, and of course, I stand up. The rudest person I ever encountered with a reaction to my name came via a phone I answered while working as an administrative assistant. When the person on the other end of the line heard my name he said, "Well, I guess if you don't walk like a Shawn and talk like a Shawn, it's okay." Then he laughed loudly and hysterically in my ear. I promptly replied, "Well, actually I do walk like a Shawn and talk like a Shawn. I'm a Shawn." (I left out the word "idiot" because I'm politer than he was.) I've also had people tell me they love my name and think it's cool. I'm in my 60's now. It's okay. I wouldn't name a daughter Shawn, but it's okay. It's mine!

I have so enjoyed stumbling into this site and reading the comments. I can relate to the anonymous user above who has a love hate relationship with being a female Shawn. Although, most days I consider it a trial. The reality is that it's not the name but the general public who feels entitled to pass judgment. Come on people! We all have a basic understanding about how one receives their name. Names are gifted to us not chosen by an individual. If you don't like someone's name or think it's being used incorrectly, remain quiet and polite. I could literally maintain a blog and fill it with the inane statements that seemingly intelligent people make to me regarding my name. The real question is not "why are you a girl named Shawn?" But "why are people so rude?!". Love to ALL the Shawns out there, male or female.

I am 100% female and have the spelling of the name Shawn not Sean. It can be a bit frustrating when people cannot get my name correct only because it's unheard of as a female's name, so they make up names for me. I just play along with it. Growing up was rough but it made me into one tough cookie, call me anything you want sweetie, 'cause I have heard it all.

You go girl! My (female) cousin is Shawn Annabeth.

It looks a little better than Sean I admit. But it's a shame anyone would give this name to a girl, this name just screams masculine to me. If you want a female name go for Shawna.

I love this name. It's not trendy and will actually grow with your son unlike names such as Ethan, Jayden, Caden, Mason and so on.

---

Shawn is a much better spelling than Sean. Sean seems to be pronounced as "seen" while Shawn actually looks like it's pronounced as Shawn.

I am a female named Shawn. I have a love/hate relationship with my name. The love is that people don't see you coming at a job interview in some other social situations. They are surprised and it gives you some advantage. Also, much safer to have what is considered a "man's" name on your apartment. I don't dislike the sound of it and I consider it pleasant enough.
The hate side comes from a lifetime of people telling me "I have a boy's name" as if I am responsible for it and I chose it myself, just as they chose their names. I feel like some people have dislike the name Shawn for a girl to the point that they take it out on me.
This isn't a name for a weak personality or mind, and although I like the sound of it, I may have picked something unisex, yet less controversial to allow me to blend in with the crowd. If someone gives me a look that indicates " That's so wrong" when I tell them my name I usually add "You know, Shawn as in rhymes with Dawn". That gives them a new way to think about the "masculinity" of the name.
I wonder why people care less if a female is named "Jamie" or "Ryan" or nicknamed "Sam" or "Andy"?
I would appreciate it if those people who feel this name is for boys only would have a little consideration for people, especially children, who really don't control what their parents decided to call them and not berate the name holder who was a too young to comment when the name was chosen.

I already like the name (much better than John or Jack--they all have the same root), but I think Shawn is my favorite spelling. Sean I guess isn't bad, but since I'm not from Ireland, my mind reads it as "see-an" before I can remember, "Oh, right, *Shawn*!" And I find the variant Shaun to be pretentious.

I like this. It took me a long time (as a kid) to get that "Sean" was pronounced the same way, I always read it as "See-Ann." I was an odd child.

---

Hey, to the person who said they wanted to name their future kid Shawn Joaquin. You realize that kind of rhymes and he'd end up being called Shawn "Wawn", right?

I prefer this layout over "Sean" by far. The way "Shawn" is spelled and pronounced makes more sense to me than "Sean." Right off the bat, Shawn sounds exactly like it's spelled as opposed to Sean (which sounds like Seen or See ann when first pronounced).

The down market "American" spelling. I think it's one of the ugliest attempts at anglicizing I've ever seen.

I prefer this spelling much much more than the SEAN spelling, probably because it appears more youthful and modern. I really like this name, and although I have nothing against girls with this name, it will always be a boys name to me. It seems very masculine.

I'm sorry, people, I think this is a boy's name. A very good boy's name.

Shawn is my mother's middle name, but she goes by it because she hates her first name. I think it's a great name for boys and girls.

Being a female named Shawn, I personally like the name. It's so unique, and it doesn't sound overly feminine. It used to be a name you could use for both genders, but modernly it's now only considered appropriate for a male, which is a pity.

The low rent and trashy spelling. I'd avoid it.

Hands down, Shawn is a name for a boy. Why would you name your little girl Shawn? That's cruel.

This is my husband's name and I think it's quite strong and masculine. A male name that's hasn't crossed over to the "unisex side" is worth its weight in gold these days. ;)

Shawn is my favorite boy name ever! It’s hard to explain exactly why I love this name, I just do! If I ever have a boy, I plan on naming him Shawn Joaquin.

I am starting to like this name. It isn't too common, but not that strange.

I'm married to a man who spells his name Shawn - now goodness knows everyone trys to spell it Sean, I guess because he's a guy. Go figure. ??

Impression: powerful.