Siobhan

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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 given 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[edit]

Fictional characters[edit]

  • 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

Diminutive[edit]

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

References[edit]

  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".

External links[edit]