Meaning of the Irish girls name Siobhan. Learn how to pronounce Siobhan so you can get the correct pronunciation for this Irish girls name.
MEANING of SIOBHAN: Siobhan is another Irish form of Joan meaning “God is gracious.” A popular name in Ireland where the anglicised versions are often used. Siobhan McKenna, an Irish actress who died in 1986, was considered by many as a woman who personified all that was good about being Irish.
GENDER: Girl | Female
IRISH NAME AND SPELLING: Siobhan
PRONUNCIATION: shiv + awn”
ENGLISH: Shevaun, Shavon, Chevonne
Next: View All Irish Girl Names
My name is siobhan but with an irish second name too it made it really difficult living in the north east of Engand my entire life haha! I hated my name and how difficult it makes it to meet new people because I just wanted a normal name people woud actually know but im proud to be different and hey! people aways remember me, even if Im remebered as “that girl with the really weird name.” ive met one or two other sio-b-hans along the way but ive got really defensive like IM THE ONLY SIOBHAN IN THIS AREA!
I love my name just hate it when people pronounce it with extra letters that aren’t there
Wow! I never thought I would find another Siobhan born in 1979 and also be named after the Ryan’s hope actress! My mom was on bed rest and watched the show daily and loved the name. She gave me the Siobhan spelling 🙂
I moved to Canada and my name has become a conversation starter in my line of work. Lots of people had never heard of it. When the DJ on our local radio station got it right I cheered!
A truly beautiful name.
Funny story: I have a buddy who named his first son Siobhan. He fell in love with the name after hearing the mathcore band Psyopus’ (hear me out) song, “Siobhan’s Song.” It’s a truly amazing, complex, and mellow instrumental song by an otherwise intense, although outstandingly talented, metal-influenced band. My friend, however, did zero research about the name, or even it’s pronunciation, before writing it down on his son’s birth certificate. Also, he pronounced the name “sigh-oh-ban” for the first five or so months, until I found this page and confirmed not only the correct pronunciation, but that he had given his son a distinctly feminine name. Poor kid will have to correct teachers when they call roll, “actually, it’s ‘shi-von.'” Here in the states, it’s an unfamiliar name, and it may sound, well, a little stripper-y, like “Chiffon” or “Cristal” (like the champagne.) That’s just what friends have been saying. It’s clearly a beautiful name, but it definitely conflicts with his gender. To boot, neither of us can find any information on why “Siobhan’s Song” is named so.
I recently met a lovely young lady named Beibhinn. It means ‘Fair Lady’. She is From Scotland and a true delight.
I loved growing up with the name Siobhan. I always found it funny when people couldn’t pronounce my name. I still get it to this day. In primary school i always thought my mom choose my name just to make me different from the rest of the kids but now that i look back at it i wouldn’t have my name any other way. Siobhan represents my strong Irish heritage and for that i wouldn’t change a thing. I love that my name siobhan has so many meaning to it. “Siobhan” is the most common way to spell siobhan in Ireland as that is the true Irish way in spelling that name. Most of my friends and family just called me “Shiv or Shivvy.”
I went to a French school, too and got called Shi-vonne (like Yvonne).
My name is Siobhan too. I loved having such a unique name as a kid. I am now in the same position to come up with such a beautiful unique name for my baby. It’s so hard. What did you come up with?
My fiance and I are expecting a baby in March and this is our top name for a girl, but are stuck for a gorgeous middle name to go with it. His son is Kaiden Michael and his daughter is Ashlynn Kyna. I love my stepchildren’s Irish names.
We South African and we gave our daughter’s name Siobhan. People had major issues with the pronunciation, so we called her CheBhan. She was being called SioBhan, SioBhaan and Sio. Even now, years later, she never corrects people, she just leaves them to call her whatever way they pronounce it.
My name is spelled Shivonne. Everyone thinks this is an African American name. I have very deep Irish roots. But it’s very hard for people to pronounce and spell.
I was born in 1979 and my mom got it from Ryan’s Hope as well! We have Irish heritage and she wanted something different after giving my older sisters very common names. If you look at the stats 79-81 were the most popular years for the name but it’s been outside of the top 1000 names in the US for like 30 years now.
I can totally relate. My older sisters are Jennifer and Sarah, incredibly common names for their age. People would always joke that my mom must have still been drugged when she came up with my name since it was so different than theirs. I was never really amused by it. My parents actually spelled it Shavon when I was born but decided to legally change it after a couple years. Since it was unusual they found that people would glance at it and think the v was an r so I was getting called Sharon all the time. I’m so glad they changed it, I much prefer the Gaelic spelling,
Being an American named Siobhan isn’t easy but I wouldn’t have any other name. I never really had a nickname growing up other than just being called Red because of my hair. A few years ago there was a show called Ringer where Sarah Michelle Gellar played a character named Siobhan and most everyone called her Shiv. Several of my friends picked up on it and now call me that all the time. Because it’s so rare to hear my name on TV it was actually a little strange hearing it so much on the show. But Ioan Gruffudd played her husband and I throughly enjoyed hearing him say my name in every episode with his lovely accent. It can be a pain having to constantly correct people but it’s worth it. My sisters are named Jennifer and Sarah, incredibly popular names for girls in the early to mid seventies when they were born. I was so glad I never was in a class with like five other girls with my name like they always were. Being unique is wonderful!
You are the only person I have ever known to spell it with the a before the h !!! Kudos for being even more unique in your uniqueness. I too first heard the name on Ryan’s Hope. I rushed home every day from school so I didn’t miss an episode – no vcr’s back then. I cherished that name and bestowed it upon my 5 week old daughter when we adopted her in 1990. I spelled it Siobahn because I wanted it to be as unique and beautiful as she is, and I’m certain that you must be as well. I never knew the a was accented until learning that today! All of the beautiful Siobáhn’s of the world unite!!! Lol!!!
My name is Shiobahn I was named by a Irish nurse it was suppose to be spelled Siobhan but they put it on the birth certificate wrong and my mom just left it. Growing up I had one teacher that pronounced it correctly and that was because he was Irish and his niece has the same name.
My little sister was a Siobhan. She was the youngest of five. The funny counterpart was “Chiffon” which she definitely was NOT! She inherited a fiery Irish disposition.
You could change yours to the original, and you would feel powerful. Plus you get that cool little accent over the a.
Very unique. My middle name was Ioana, and I was teased as “Iguana”. Now I love that name! Good Luck!
I named my daughter Shavonne. After her doting grandmother Joan. Unique spelling forr a unique little girl
My girlfriend is Irish and just had a baby girl , they called her Saoirse. What a beautiful name . Just a suggestion.
My name’s Siobhan and I had so many nicknames in primary school ranging from vonny to shiv and my brother constantly teasing me calling me sio-boxhead and vajaun (how my cousin pronounced my name as a child). It is hilarious just waiting for teachers to try and pronouce my name though very little try and my class always just simultaneously tells the teacher. I’ve always loved my name though and I am definitely, one day, giving my children Irish names whether they’re difficult for Aussies or not because they’re beautiful ^.^
Try living in South Africa with this name! I love my name , even though my buddies call me Shevy xx
Im Siobhan, I never had a problem with my name only time I remember was an American trying to pronounce it very funny!!!!
I was called Shiv all my life by my friends and my family always called me Vauny.
I love my good, strong, Irish name.
I, too, am “Siobhan” and was not given a middle name because my mother figured that one was enough! (and I agree). Growing up, at times, the name was quite trying and frustrating. I tried to come up with a nick-name and nothing ever really stuck. I hated my name. Now, looking back, such a unique name with such an “unusual” spelling certainly gave me confidence, strength, allowed me to make friends more quickly (classmates would correct the teacher before I ever had to speak up) and made me stand out from the crowd in an unforgettable way. Even today, many people still struggle pronouncing it, even family members sometimes mess up the spelling, and those close to me all seem to have their own special nick names for me (Sio, Soybean, Shivy, Von, etc) and I’ve grown to love them all. But most of all, I do love and enjoy my unique and special name and wouldn’t change it for the world. I am now expecting a baby girl this coming summer and we are struggling to come up with a name as unique and pretty as Siobhan–proving quite difficult to find.
Press Ctrl Alt and a/i/e/o to put a …..fada on it etc á í é ó
My name,Kiera, isn’t on the site Kiernan is and also Kieran is but it’s unfair my name’s never in anything. Even christmas cards! To Ciara/Karia/Keea/Kiria/Kira,…….
[I know a few of them were real names but still not mine!]
I swear, growing up, I thought my mother hated me. Growing up as the oldest of five, I was the only of us who had a “weird” name. My siblings’ names are all generic, and come with cute nicknames, difficult to come by with a name like mine, unless you were making fun of it. I had a computer auto-correct my name to “shave-on”. That became a mantra as I’d walk the halls, as that was the same time “Karate Kid” became popular(shave-on, shave-off). As I grew older, though, I found that people would tell me what a gorgeous name, for such a pretty face. I have now a strong love for my name, although I wish my mother had spelled it Siobhan. It’s definitely a conversation starter(where in the WORLD did your mother pull THAT from?!?) and it always seems to define my character, as no one with a name such as ours could ever be slightly forgettable, and my name gives me a sort of confidence that I don’t believe I could possess I my name were “Bobby-Jo” or “Mandy”. It holds a certain strength to it.
Oh my lord! Even without the spelling the (dare I say) correct way, the way people can butcher it!! And worse, besides English teachers not making the “e” silent after the double “nn”, was the way people assume you to be one color skinned or another!!
My mother spelled my name Shivonne, to be more phonetic than the traditional Siobhan, but as I grow older, more people guess the traditionally spelled name than the way my name is actually spelled. I would have preferred, if given the choice, to have it spelled the Gaelic way, Siobhan.
My name is Siobhán and I like it! I never had any problems spelling it as a child. By the way the proper traditional way to spell it is Siobhán with the accent. But you can spell it without the accent. Sometimes I do just for ease as it can confuse people a bit but on my birth certificate it has the accent
Haha. Im called Sio and Sio-ban at school all the time. All Siobhan’s Unite!
My insurance company swears it’s spelled Goldihan and all my friends call me Sho cause not a one can spell it or pronounce it correctly. The best is waiting for my name to be called, so used to it I just answer to anything remotely close.
Hi, my name is Siobhan and the most common spelling of it is Siobhan. All the other ones are just how it sounds.
Hi everyone…. could anyone help me pls…. I really love the name Siobhan, but searching on the internet I found that it can be spelt differently (Shivon) having the same meaning `god is gracious’. I like them both. Now am really confused how to name my child which is due on December. Thanks 🙂
I know I will get killed for saying this, but I want to name my daughter this, but I really like the phonetic pronunciation of the name such as “Sio- Bhan”, exactly how it looks. It is so cute and pretty sounding. Again, I will probably get hated for making such a comment, but I fell in love with it for that reason, and just learned how it was supposed to sound after coming to this website.
This is my name too. But my mum spelt it with an extra I this has got really problems. People have got used to the spelling but I have put a spanner in the works. It’s great fun seeing people strugle lol
I have to say it was really cool being able to read all the comments. I don’t feel so alone anymore, haha. I have met one Siobhan and a few people that know someone with the name. Very few people know how to pronounce it and aside from the difficulty getting a job because no one wants to call you to butcher your name I have grown to love it. I knew how to spell it when I was 2, but when I am tired I sometimes start to spell it like it sounds (oops). I had one person ask me if my name was really soy-ban when I was a teenager and that actually became a nickname for a while. It was always fun waiting to see what the teachers would come up with when they saw it for the first time.
I love the name Siobhan! I was given the name not only for being Irish but my grandmother’s name is Joan and my mother’s name is Joanne. People always seem to pronounce it wrong, I am called Sio-Bon and Sio. It makes me proud to say my name is Gaelic. All Siobhan’s should honor their special name! 🙂
I was also named after the actress Siobhan McKenna. I REALLY love my name!!
I think it’s funny when people try and spell name as i spell it differently they always get it wrong
My name is Siobhan and I could spell it when I was two.
i love my name, no one can ever say it right off top! bUT I LOVE IT!! even more the meaning “GOD IS GRACIOUS”
My fiancé is Irish of descent and I’m thinking of naming our daughter this
I go to a french school since preschool and almost everyone get’s it wrong the first few times. But all of my classmates are used to it so as soon as we get a substitute teacher that sits there for a couple seconds before saying my name for attendance they all yell my name at the same time. I just find it funny. I get lot’s of compliments on my name. I also really love my name.<3
I named my daughter in 1979, Shavaun. Reason for the spelling is, my mother’s friend was a school teacher and she said to do my child a favor and spell it the way it sounds. Therefore the spelling. Shavaun was named for the character, Siobhan Ryan, on the soap opera Ryan’s Hope.
Hi !! I was named after actress Siobhan McKenna !
What an awesome name! Hehe! When I was little I used to play around with the kids in my class and bet none of them could spell my name (I love to win) and this was always an easy triumph. It’s always funny on the first day of school to hear all the teachers try and pronounce it.. Usually if they’re smart they’ll just say “I’m going to butcher this next name…” And then I’ll politely raise my hand and say “here!” Hahah. I like how unique my name is and it’s always a special treat to meet another Siobhan. Only thing I didn’t like when I was growing up is they never had my name on keychains etc. however I would always keep looking.. My mom always told me that it was Okay that they didn’t sell things with my name, because then I always got specialty personalizing done. My mom actually picked out the name from a soap opera she use go watch when she was thirteen (born in 65) and she liked it ever sense! My sisters names are Sarah and Deirdre, so i think we all lucked out with pretty names. I like the idea of giving my daughter it as a middle name.. How fun to keep the tradition going!
Correct spelling is Siobhán (that is a ‘fada’ over the a at the end) to indicate how it is pronounced.
I sit with the same problem, people laugh about the spelling, but it happens. we have a unique name and alot of people also tell me it is a very beautiful name. i get called ‘Sio’ , quite amusing 🙂 But many people DO NOT know how to say it.
I met Siobhan McKenna in the early 60’s…her son was Donnacha O’Dea and a friend of a friend of mine in Waterford….Donnacha was a very good swimmer and represented Ireland in the 1968 Olympics….Siobhan, his mother unfortunately died when she was in her early 60’s…..she was a beautiful lady. Just. Little trivia
Yes, I see that this name is becoming very popular. When I hear that someone has my name, the first thing I ask is, how do you spell it. Jus tlike everyone else, it is funny how soooo many people say my name incorrectly. Coming up my little brother could never say my name, so he called me Bhan Bhan. He is 28 yrs old and still calls me that. Like some people, I used to hate whne people said my name wrong, but as I got older I realized that my name was unique because no one could say it, or I was the only one. Now i have many of my friends calling me different names, Sio, Sha- Bhan Bhan, Bhan, Shevvy. Now I have people asking me if my name is spelled right because it doesn’t look right. If I every have a girl I would love to give this to her as her middle name to keep this unique name going.
Have a distant cousin with the name but her spelling of it is ‘Siobhian’ not seen many with it spelt that way
Grandparents and ancestors ALL Irish!! Lucky Us!!!
Have quite a few Irish names in the family although now all mostly in England.
Have to say ‘Fabulous Site’ I was searching for they spelling of an Irish name when I came upon it.
I love my name and many have commented that it’s as beautiful as I am. What a kind compliment.
I absolutely love my name…but I remember being furious when I was 6 and another girl joined my school with the name Siobhan hahaha! the pronunciations are hilarious though- most people just refer to me as “Sio”, “Shivvy” or “Shev”. hahaha!
I like your researched meaning for the origin of the name. It does make more sense than it being the (or an) Irish version of Joan. I had come across the name Siobhan (or Sioban) a few times in my life, but had never heard it pronounced (I just used the phonetic ‘see-oh-ban’ in my head when I read it) and did not have the internet or someone who knew for sure to ask back then. I’ve been reading the Twilight books and came across the name and decided to look up how to properly pronounce it (thanks to this site :-).
BTW, I’ve sort of fallen in love with Siobhan’s “coven junior-member” Maggie; cute AND deadly, Meeee-OW!!! =^_^=
My name is siobahn we pronounce it as sher-Bon I love it especially the funny ways people say it 🙂
My Irish grandmother had only sons, and then only grandsons, and as her only grand daughter she really wanted me to be Siobhan. Born and raised in Ireland, she actually knew Siobhan McKenna, and she always wanted the next girl in the family to have the name. So happy it worked out for me because I love my name! After a while, you just have to laugh at the various mispronounciations. I had a boss call me “Sibo” for a whole year. He was a genius…
Boy I never knew there were so many people named Siobhan,well I am d only one around here and everybody thinks its so neat but my mother pronounce it different we say Su- bhan and in school everybody called me c-o-bu-han I hated that,but getting on this site teach me a lot about my name…thanks
My name is Siobhan and my grandmother is Joan 🙂
ehehehheehe that my name my dads irish but i live in australia gday matie
thats my name!!!!! jessica siobhan! i didnt know how to spell my midle name till i was 12
This is my name as well, my mom’s bff’s name was Joan. Hated being called Sio-ban coming up as a child by people who had no clue. Lol
I named my daughter Jessica Siobhan. I was always afraid no one would be able to pronounce it correctly. So we gave it to her as her middle name. She loves the name and wants to pass it on to her daughter, if she has one someday.
My name without the H and with a ~ above the “a”and a . above the b. Say it the same. I was told that ban combined with Sio and the accents ment “Pure White” and Joan. Intresting…..
My name!
This is my daughter’s name.
Think I’m one of the oldest Siobhans. Bar the Irish actress Siobhan McKenna
Any Siobhan out there older than 57?
My name is Siobhan and my grandmothers name was joan so i guess that makes sense. its just really annoying that no one pronounces it right even after 7 years in school the teachers were still getting it wrong.
arnold schwarzenegger was pressured to change his last name as an up and coming actor but remarked that once people learn it they’ll never forget it. He was right so hang in there and maybe write it phonetic so others see how to pronounce it:: shiv + awn”
That’s my name too !!!
But most of my classmates don’t know how to pronounce it , i’ve tried many attempts , but it didn’t work ;(
My name ;D
The only bad thing is that, where i live, most people get it wrong, especially in school
I’ve had my great name for decades now, and finally researched the true Irish Gaelic root of it: it comes from Sidhe Bhan, which became Siobhan, Sidhe means “fairy” and Bhan means “white, so Siobhan = White Fairy. This makes much more sense than Siobhan = “Joan”. The English during colonization of Ireland sought to take the Irish language away from the people, and anglicizing Irish names became common practice.
i am just in love with one …. 😀
lalalalala
i never knew how to pronounce this name…
it always confused me. but its actually really pritt.
not sure i like the meaning though… :|~
What a lovely name. I never would have guessed the proper pronunciation.
One word: TWILIGHT. It is a gorgeous name though:)
When I have a little girl Siobhan is going to be her name, i love the meaning to this name
One of my best friends is called Siobhan, and my grandma is called Joan!!!
My aunts name!!!!!!!! xxxxxxxxxxxx
Great name, infact IT IS MINE!!!!!!!!