Siobhán
PronunciationEnglish: /ʃɪˈvɔːn/ shih-VAWN
Irish: [ˈʃʊwaːn̪ˠ, ʃəˈwaːn̪ˠ]
GenderFemale
Origin
Word/nameHebrew יוחנן‎ Yôḥānnān
MeaningGod is gracious
Region of originIreland
Other names
Related namesJoan, Joanne, Joanna, Jane, Sinéad, Seán, Shawna, Shauna, Seána

Siobhán is a female given name of Irish origin. The most common anglicisations are Siobhan (identical to the Irish spelling but omitting the Síneadh fada acute accent over the 'a'), Shavawn, Shevaun and Shivaun.[1] A now uncommon spelling variant is Siubhán.[2][3]

It is derived from the Anglo-Norman Jehane and Jehanne[4][5] (Modern French Jeanne), which were introduced into Ireland by the Anglo-Normans in the Middle Ages.[5] The name first appears in the surviving Irish annals in the early fourteenth century.[6]

The name is thus a cognate of the Welsh Siân and the English Joan,[4][7] derived from the Latin Ioanna and Iohanna (modern English Joanna, Joanne), which are in turn from the Greek Iōanna (Ἰωάννα). This Greek name is a feminine form of the Greek Iōannēs (Ἰωάννης),[7] which is in turn a shortened form of the Hebrew Johanan[8] (יוֹחָנָן‎ Yôḥānān, a shortened form of יְהוֹחָנָן‎ Yəhôḥānān), meaning 'God is gracious', and origin of the masculine name John and its cognates.[citation needed]

The popularity of the actress Siobhán McKenna (1923–1986) helped the resurgence of the name in the 20th century.[9]

The Scottish Gaelic form of the name is Siobhàn[10][2][11] (which is sometimes anglicised Judith).[12]

The male Irish forms of the name are Seán and Eóin.

People

Fictional characters

Diminutive

Siobhán has a corresponding diminutive form, Sinéad (after French Jeannette). Examples of this name include singer Sinéad O'Connor.

References

  1. ^ Todd, Loreto. Celtic Names for Children. O'Brien, 2000. p.73
  2. ^ a b "Index of Names in Irish Annals: Siobhán". medievalscotland.org.
  3. ^ "SIUBHÁN – Irish Names and Surnames". www.libraryireland.com.
  4. ^ a b Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A dictionary of first names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, p. 356, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1
  5. ^ a b Ó Corráin, Donnchadh; Maguire, Fidelma (1981), Gaelic personal names, Academy Press, p. 165, ISBN 9780906187395
  6. ^ "Index of Names in Irish Annals: Feminine Given Names 1201 - 1600". medievalscotland.org.
  7. ^ a b Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A dictionary of first names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, p. 144, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1
  8. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A dictionary of first names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, p. 146, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1
  9. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia. A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508137-4.[ISBN missing][page needed]
  10. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A dictionary of first names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, p. 409, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1
  11. ^ "Scottish First Names: Gaelic Women's Names". namenerds.com.
  12. ^ "Siobhàn". Library Ireland.
  13. ^ "J.D. Robb". Archived from the original on 3 January 2012.[dead link]
  14. ^ MacVeigh, Ruairidh (8 June 2018). "Outsiders". SmackJeeves.com.
  15. ^ "Skin Deep". www.polisbooks.com. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  16. ^ https://carleneoconnor.net/murder-in-an-irish-village/

External links

Irish-language given names
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