Seán

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Sean (Ulster dialect spelling Séan) is an Irish language name.^[1] It is Irish borrowing of the Norman French Jehan (see Jean). Anglicisations of the name include Sean, Shane, Shayne, Shaine, Shan, Shon, Shaun, and Shawn. The name Shane comes from the Ulster pronunciation of the name, whereas the names Shaun, Shawn, or Sean come from the way it is pronounced in Munster, Leinster, and Connacht.^[2]

Origination

In 1066, the Norman duke, William the Conqueror conquered England, where the Norman French name Jehan / Johan (pronounced [dʒɛˈan]) came to be pronounced Jean, and spelled John. The Norman from the Welsh Marches, with the Norman King of England's mandate conquered Ireland in the 1170s. The Irish nobility was replaced by Norman nobles, some of whom bore the Norman French name Johan or the Anglicised name John. The Irish adapted the name to their own pronunciation and spelling, producing the name Seán. Sean is commonly pronounced Shawn (Seán), but in the northern parts of Ireland (owing to a northern dialect), it is pronounced "Shan", "Shen" or "Shayn" (Séan, with the accent on the e instead of the a), thus leading to the variant Shane.

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