Shane

Shane is a variation of the Irish name Sean; basically just a matter of spelling it the way it sounds when pronounced in areas of Northern Ireland. Currently Shane is a quite popular name in Ireland, but less so in Northern Ireland--which makes sense when you think about it. It is a top 50 name in both cases, anyway. In the U.S., Shane began to be used to name baby boys in the 1950's, almost entirely due to the success of the movie Shane. Shane was a top 100 name during the 1970's and 1980's, but in the 1990's it started to slip in the rankings. It has dropped a little each year since the mid 1990's, but is still currently a top 200 name. Shane is normally a boys name, but is very occasionally (very!) used as a girl's name.