Siobhan

Siobhán
PronunciationEnglish: /ʃɪˈvɔːn/ shih-VAWN
Irish: [ˈʃʊwaːn̪ˠ, ʃəˈwaːn̪ˠ]
GenderFemale
Origin
Word/nameHebrew יוחנןYôḥānnān
MeaningGod is gracious
Region of originIreland
Other names
Related namesJoan, Joanne, Joanna, Jane, Sinéad, Seán, Shawna, Shauna, Seána

Siobhán is a female name of Irish origin. The most common anglicisations are Siobhan (identical to the Irish spelling but omitting the Síneadh fada acute accent over the 'a'), Shavawn, Shevaun and Shivaun.[1] A now uncommon spelling variant is Siubhán.[2][3]

It is derived from the Anglo-Norman Jehane and Jehanne[4][5] (Modern French Jeanne), which were introduced into Ireland by the Anglo-Normans in the Middle Ages.[5] The name first appears in the surviving Irish annals in the early fourteenth century.[6]

The name is thus a cognate of the Welsh Siân and the English Joan,[4][7] derived from the Latin Ioanna and Iohanna (modern English Joanna, Joanne), which are in turn from the Greek Iōanna (Ἰωάννα). This Greek name is a feminine form of the Greek Iōannēs (Ἰωάννης),[7] which is in turn a shortened form of the Hebrew Johanan[8] (יוֹחָנָןYôḥānān, a shortened form of יְהוֹחָנָןYəhôḥānān), meaning 'God is gracious', and origin of the masculine name John and its cognates.[citation needed]

The popularity of the actress Siobhán McKenna (1923–1986) helped the resurgence of the name in the 20th century.[9]

The Scottish Gaelic form of the name is Siobhàn[10][2][11] (which is sometimes anglicised Judith).[12]

The male Irish forms of the name are Seán and Eóin.

People

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Fictional characters

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  • Siobhan, one of Christopher's teachers at school in Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
  • Siobhan, a female vampire appearing in the last book of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
  • Siobhan Andrews, a smart third-grader in the television series Hey Arnold!
  • Siobhan Beckett, a character from the science fiction series Earth: Final Conflict
  • Siobhan Brody, mother of Roarke's mother in J. D. Robb's In Death novels[13]
  • Siobhan Clarke, Detective Sergeant in Ian Rankin's John Rebus novels
  • Siobhan Kelly, deputy in the Cinemax series Banshee
  • Siobhan Martin, one of the twin sisters portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar in the short-lived drama Ringer
  • Siobhan McDougal, also known as Silver Banshee, a DC Comics supervillain
  • Siobhan Pattinson, one of the two main characters of the LGBT webcomic Outsiders [14]
  • Siobhan "Shiv" Roy, the daughter of patriarch Logan Roy on the HBO series Succession
  • Siobhan, Cassidy's girlfriend and character from J Kenner's Stark International trilogy. Also appears in Deepest Kiss, Hold me, Wicked Grind, Sweetest Taboo and Anchor Me.
  • Siobhan Ryan, daughter of Maeve and Johnny Ryan on the American daytime soap opera Ryan's Hope from 1978 to 1989
  • Siobhan Sadler, also known as "Mrs. S" a foster mother to two of the main characters in the television series Orphan Black
  • Siobhan Sharpe, head of brand for the Olympic Deliverance Commission in the BBC television series Twenty Twelve
  • Shevaun Tillman, a character in James Clavell's novel Tai-Pan
  • Siobhan O'Brien, a character in Sung J. Woo's novel Skin Deep[15]
  • Siobhán O’Sullivan, a garda in Carlene O'Connor's The Irish Village Mysteries[16]
  • Siobhan Sheehan, character in HBO series Mare of Easttown
  • Siobhán, the lead character in the 2019 film, Sea Fever.
  • Siobhan Kelly, a character in Beth O'Leary's The No-Show
  • Siobhan Klaxon, a character in the 2022 stop-motion horror comedy film, Wendell & Wild
  • Siobhán Súilleabháin, a character in the 2022 comedy-drama film, The Banshees of Inisherin
  • Siobhan Corbyn, a character in the 2023 TV series "American Horror Story: Delicate"

Diminutive

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Siobhán has a corresponding diminutive form, Sinéad (after French Jeannette). Examples of this name include the late Sinéad O'Connor.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Todd, Loreto. Celtic Names for Children. O'Brien, 2000. p.73
  2. ^ a b "Index of Names in Irish Annals: Siobhán". medievalscotland.org.
  3. ^ "SIUBHÁN – Irish Names and Surnames". www.libraryireland.com.
  4. ^ a b 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
  5. ^ a b Ó Corráin, Donnchadh; Maguire, Fidelma (1981), Gaelic personal names, Academy Press, p. 165, ISBN 9780906187395
  6. ^ "Index of Names in Irish Annals: Feminine Given Names 1201 - 1600". medievalscotland.org.
  7. ^ a b 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
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia. A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508137-4. [ISBN missing][page needed]
  10. ^ 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
  11. ^ "Scottish First Names: Gaelic Women's Names". namenerds.com.
  12. ^ "Siobhàn". Library Ireland.
  13. ^ "J.D. Robb". Archived from the original on 3 January 2012. [dead link]
  14. ^ MacVeigh, Ruairidh (8 June 2018). "Outsiders". SmackJeeves.com.
  15. ^ "Skin Deep". www.polisbooks.com. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  16. ^ "Murder in an Irish Village – Carlene O'Connor".
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