How Many People Are Named Shannon?
An estimated 317,066 people in the United States have the first name Shannon. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #151 overall. It is used for both genders, with 85.0% female. The average bearer is 46 years old, and Shannon peaked in popularity in 1970 with 16,118 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Shannon as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Shannon paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Shannon has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1970s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
317,066
About 1 in 1,081 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
85.0% confidence
Average Age
46
years old
Peak Year
1970
16,118 births
Total Registered
348,046
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Shannon
Shannon is predominantly female (85.0%), though 52,336 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Shannon as a male name
Ranked #2,618 in 2024
51 male births in 2024
Peak: 1972 (3,013 births)
Shannon as a female name
Ranked #1,873 in 2024
107 female births in 2024
Peak: 1970 (13,547 births)
Shannon: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Shannon span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1970s, when 138,446 babies were registered. Shannon has declined significantly from its peak in the 1970s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Shannon by Decade
How has Shannon tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 11 | 11 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 30 | 30 | 0 | |
| 1910s | 200 | 185 | 15 | |
| 1920s | 366 | 254 | 112 | |
| 1930s | 669 | 297 | 372 | |
| 1940s | 2,153 | 596 | 1,557 | |
| 1950s | 7,544 | 1,444 | 6,100 | |
| 1960s | 43,703 | 9,851 | 33,852 | |
| 1970s | 138,446 | 24,648 | 113,798 | |
| 1980s | 86,540 | 8,119 | 78,421 | |
| 1990s | 49,755 | 3,846 | 45,909 | |
| 2000s | 14,390 | 1,932 | 12,458 | |
| 2010s | 3,434 | 849 | 2,585 | |
| 2020s | 800 | 269 | 531 | |
Shannon by State
Birth registrations for Shannon span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, New York. The lowest are in Vermont, Wyoming, Alaska. On average, about 6,691 Shannons were registered per state.
Shannon + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Shannon as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Shannon
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
Shannon: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shannon?
We estimate approximately 317,066 people named Shannon are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 1,081 Americans share this first name.
Is Shannon a common name?
Shannon is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 348,046 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Shannon most popular?
Shannon reached peak popularity in 1970, when 16,118 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Shannon is approximately 46 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Shannon a female name?
Shannon is predominantly female. 85.0% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Shannon Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Shannon Smith, Shannon Johnson, Shannon Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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