Shawn/Sean/Shaun?

[frenchnails.livejournal.com]

So how do you spell this name?

Shawn?
Sean?
Shaun?

I ask because my son's name is Shawn, and I'm forever having to spell it for people, they always automatically spell it Sean.

I named him partly after the wrestler Shawn Michaels, and I HATE the spelling Sean, it just doesn't... look right to me. It looks like it should be pronounced 'Seen' not 'Shawn.' So I went with the literal spelling, I like it much better.

But now I'm getting a couple 'Shaun' spellings too.

Haha it's so annoying, I name my son something normal (for me anyway) and I get trouble with it -.-

Comments

[joereaves.livejournal.com]

I think Shaun is more common in Australia than elsewhere in the world. I think the OP is in NZ so presumably they use it a lot too, but I've only seen it on Australians.

[krosp.livejournal.com]

I agree, I'm in Australia and I prefer Shaun to Shawn.

To the OP - I think Sean is the original spelling but I thought Shaun and Shawn were both really common. I'm not surprised you get people spelling it the wrong way though (I'm Claire and I get Clare and Clair all the time, so with names that have variants that's just the way it is). I just don't get why people don't ask or check first, and just assume it's one spelling or another.