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

[miss-tee.livejournal.com]

I'd spell it Sean myself but if I saw Shawn or Shaun I would certainly know what name it was.

[th3-unicorn.livejournal.com]

I prefer Sean, which is the original Irish version, but like all Irish/Welsh names, the pronunciation is far from phonetic!
It's interesting though that you'd have trouble with Shawn, I thought it was just as established as Sean.

[frenchnails.livejournal.com]

I dunno, maybe it's NZ that has the problem, cos everytime I say my son's name, they spell it Sean. I'm like ARGGHH, cos I thought it was a common spelling too!

[peke.livejournal.com]

Seán (with the fada over the a) was the original way of spelling it, but the fada was later dropped. The Shawn spelling came about because of how it's pronounced in certain parts of Ireland, but most people over here at least would automatically spell it as Sean.

I would personally spell it Sean, but that's because I've an older brother who has his name spelt that way and having Irish roots it's a name that appears a lot in my family tree.

[harri-cady.livejournal.com]

I think Sean is more common, but I have seen Shawn a lot in recent years (I'm a teacher). I have never met a Shaun, that one is unique.

[traecrochet.livejournal.com]

My cousin spells it Sean. I've only seen one person ever spell it Shawn.

[jordle.livejournal.com]

Sean is the way I'd automatically spell it cause it's the traditional way (and only way IMHO). I know a Shaun but I've never met a Shawn before.

[harinakshi.livejournal.com]

I see Sean and Shawn a lot. I knew mostly Seans, though. It's a little odd looking, but I prefer it because of Shawna, which I had a friend named that and I always thought it was a pretty name, and I like to keept he two seperated.

[rowan-belle.livejournal.com]

I love the Sean spelling. I've never met a Shawn or a Shaun but I know they're both acceptable spellings.

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

I would automatically spell it Sean. Unfortunately it's probably something that you're going to have to deal with forever, because that's basically the original spelling of the name, and the one people most people will think of. Shawn isn't wrong, but it's a name with a few variants (like Alastair/Alistair/Alastor/etc.) so you're going to get the alternate spellings.

[pegasus2o5.livejournal.com]

I actually prefer the Shawn spelling aesthetically, but the technically "correct" spelling is Sean so I can see why you get that a lot. When the name was first popularized, nobody knew how to pronounce it so using the phonetic spelling made sense. But it's been around long enough now that everyone recognizes it.

The one that confuses me is the actor Sean Bean. It's like, "your name rhymes... wait, no it doesn't... is there such a thing as a visual rhyme??"

[penguiny7.livejournal.com]

I'd automatically spell it Sean, and that's my preferred spelling. Shawn and Shaun are Anglicizations of Sean. Well, Sean kind of is too because it's actually Seán, but whatever.

It's a common name though and all three of those spellings are common, at least Sean and Shawn are, so it's not quite the same situation as if you'd spelled a normal name wrong, anyway.

[waitingonsunday.livejournal.com]

I love this name when it's spelled Shawn. Any other spelling makes the name ugly to me.

[tokudama.livejournal.com]

When I was a kid I had classmates with the spellings Shawn and Sean, so both of these are pretty normal for me. Since Sean is the 'original' I'd say you're just going to have to get used to correcting it. My first name is an unusually spelled variant too; having to spell my name out for people has always been a part of my life and honestly it's not annoying at all once you've done it often enough :)

[loanwords.livejournal.com]

I would assume it's Sean.

[lustdumpster.livejournal.com]

i prefer sean, because i think that's the original spelling. when i was younger though i watched clarissa explains it all and in the credits someone was named sean and i thought it was seen forever.

[stummyflies.livejournal.com]

my brother's name is spelled sean so that's how i'd spell it.

[lilacmermaid.livejournal.com]

I've seen all three spellings, but the only one I really like is Sean. I have a cousin named Shaun, so it's *okay*, but I really dislike Shawn.

[laminy.livejournal.com]

Sean first, then Shawn next.

[quitmyscene.livejournal.com]

I would assume Sean as it's the original/"correct" spelling. After that, Shawn.

[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.

[joereaves.livejournal.com]

I know Shawn and Shaun exist as variants but I would just assume that the person was using the original and, in my experience, most common spelling unless they said otherwise.

[cremepuff.livejournal.com]

I've seen all three spellings. I'm not a fan of the Shaun spelling (that's my friend's brother), but I think either Sean or Shawn is just fine. If I encountered someone named Sean/Shawn/Shaun and had to make a name tag for him or write it down or something, I'd ask him how it's spelled before assuming that it's one way or the other. But that's just me. :)

[snailrevolution.livejournal.com]

My preference goes Sean, Shaun, Shawn. If I were writing it down, I'd probably ask about spelling. Since that one has at least three different common spellings I really cannot imagine why they don't just ask. :p

[kort-ni.livejournal.com]

My uncle still spells his with the fada.

[ohhvelocitygirl.livejournal.com]

I would assume it's sean, because it's the original form and I hate "variants of"

[meeksnmeebs.livejournal.com]

I've seen it both ways, and I don't think one is better than the other.
Ironically all the guys named Sean/Shawn I know have the same last name lol.
Dated a guy in high school with the 'Sean' spelling, I believe it was Irish. (He's about 23/24 years old now.)
I had a neighbor/roommate last year with the 'Shawn' spelling, don't know why, but he's in his 50's now.

[solitudete.livejournal.com]

I'd spell it Sean, its original form. I've only ever met/heard of girls named Shawn.

[armenda.livejournal.com]

I always ask people how to spell their names. Especially if it's a name that could have different spellings.

Personally I like Shaun and Sean. I've never liked the Shawn version.

[freezemyazaleas.livejournal.com]

I like Sean the best, and I also like Shawn, but I hate Shaun.

[mrssubee.livejournal.com]

when I meet a Sean/Shawn....I always ask about the spelling
you never know
my 1st instinct is to spell it SEAN

[monkey-fruit.livejournal.com]

I think Sean is the traditional version, but personally...I think I prefer the way Shawn looks. I don't really like Shaun.

[autophoblamb.livejournal.com]

I spell it Sean, but just as easily spell it Shawn. But my grandma had a friend when she was in her late teens, and her name was spelled Sean, but pronounced See-ann.

[patsfan610.livejournal.com]

i like Shawn best, then Shaun, then Sean. i agree that it looks like its pronounced "seen"

[tiphanism.livejournal.com]

I only like Sean (with or without the fada) - to me the others look made-up, but I know they are widely accepted as variants.

[rachie-01.livejournal.com]

I think Sean looks like "Seen" too, my boss is called Shaun. I don't think I've ever met a Shawn, though. I don't particularly like the name with any of the spellings, but would probably go with Shaun.

[falls2climb.livejournal.com]

I see all three spellings in my students' names. I don't automatically assume any one spelling over another - if someone tells me their name is Sean/Shawn/Shaun, I ask how they spell it. Same with Sarah/Sara or Alison/Allison, for example.

[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.

[gregs-wife1201.livejournal.com]

I know a girl who spelled it Shean. I personally like Sean better.

[http://users.livejournal.com/--r0mance/]

THIS.