Siobhan

Siobhán
Pronunciation Irish pronunciation: [ˈʃɪwaːn̪ˠ] or [ʃəˈvˠaːn̪ˠ]
Gender Female
Origin
Word/name Hebrew יוחנן Yôḥānnān
Meaning God's grace
Region of origin Ireland
Other names
Related names Joan, Joanne, Joanna, Jane, Sinéad, Sean

Siobhan (English: /ʃɪˈvɔːn/ shi-VAWN) is a female given name of Irish origin. Its spelling in the Irish language is Siobhán (Irish pronunciation: [ʃəˈvˠaːn̪ˠ] or [ˈʃɪwaːn̪ˠ]), while the most common anglicisations are Shevaun and Shivaun.[1]

It is derived from the Anglo-Norman Jehane and Jehanne[2][3] (Modern French Jeanne) which were introduced into Ireland by the Anglo-Normans in the Middle Ages.[3]

The name is thus a cognate of the English Joan,[2][4] derived from the Latin Ioanna and Iohanna (modern English Joanna, Joanne), which are in turn from the Greek Iōanna. This Greek name is a feminine form of the Greek Iōannēs,[4] which is in turn a shortened form of the Hebrew Johanan[5] (יוֹחָנָן Yôḥānān, a shortened form of יְהוֹחָנָן Yəhôḥānān), meaning 'God is gracious', and origin of the masculine name John and its cognates.

The popularity of the actress Siobhán McKenna (1923–1986) helped the resurgence of the name in the twentieth century.[6]

The Scottish Gaelic form of the name is Siubhan (which is usually anglicised Judith).[7]

The male Irish form of the name is Sean.


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. 1 2 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 .
  3. 1 2 Ó Corráin, Donnchadh; Maguire, Fidelma, Gaelic personal names, Academy Press, p. 165, ISBN 9780906187395 .
  4. 1 2 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
  5. ↑ 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
  6. ↑ "Siobhán". Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research. Retrieved 17 July 2010. . The webpage cited the following book: Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia. A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508137-4.
  7. ↑ 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 .
  8. ↑ http://www.jdrobb.com/books/allbooks.php
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