Shannon is an Irish name, Anglicised from Sionainn. Alternative spellings include Shannen, Shanon, Shannan, and Siannon. The variant Shanna is an Anglicisation of Sionna.
Sionainn derives from the Irish name Abha na tSionainn for the River Shannon. 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." Another reported derivation is from Ó Seanaigh, "descendant of Seanach", which yielded the surnames Shanahan and Shannon.
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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. The Shannon is the longest river in Ireland and in the British Isles.
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.
According to the legend, nine sacred hazel (or, by some accounts, rowan) trees grow near the well, and drop their bright red fruit in it and on the ground. 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 are familiar diminutives or forms of Shannon or Sionna.
Popularity
In the United States, the name first appeared on the Social Security Administration's list in 1881 for males. 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.
Women
Shannon (born 1958), American singer
Shannon Applegate, American historian
Shannon Ashlyn (born 1986), Australian actress
Shannon Aubert (born 1995), French golfer
Shannon Bahrke (born 1980), American freestyle skier
Shannon Baker (born 1980), New Zealand Rugby player
Shannon Barnett (born 1982), American composer
Shannon Bell (born 1955), Canadian performance philosopher
Shannon Beveridge (born 1992), American YouTube personality
Shannon Bex (born 1980), American singer
Shannon Birchard (born 1994), Canadian curler
Shannon Bilbray-Axelrod (born 1973), American politician
Shannon Bobbitt (born 1985), American basketball player
Shannon Bolin (1917–2016), American actress and singer
Shannon Boxx (born 1977), American soccer player
Shannon Bramer (born 1973), Canadian poet
Shannon Bream (born 1970), American journalist
Shannon Campbell (born 1996), Australian footballer
Men
Shannon Bennett (born 1975), Australian chef and author
Shannon Birchall, Australian born musician
Shannon Blunt, American radar engineer
Shannon Boatman (born 1984), Canadian football player
Shannon Breen (born 1989), American football player
Shannon Boyd (born 1992), Australian football player
Shannon Boyd-Bailey McCune (1913–1993), American geographer
Shannon Briggs (born 1971), American professional boxer
Shannon Brown (born 1985), American Basketball player
Shannon Breen (born 1989), American football player
Shannon Clavelle (born 1973), American football player
Shannon Cole (born 1984), Australian NJ football player
Shannon Corcoran (born 1971), American football player
Shannon Culver (born 1971), Canadian football player
Shannon Dallas (born 1977), Australian skier
Shannon Denton, American storyteller
Shannon Hegarty (born 1979), Australian rugby league player
Richard Shannon Hoon, rock musician from Indiana