The Irish name Siobhan has made some notable appearances in pop culture. Getty Images
The traditional Irish name Siobhan, or Siobhán with a fada, has remained a firm favourite in the hearts of parents for decades, but you might be surprised to learn that it has taken a hit in popularity over the last few years.
We all know at least one Siobhan, although it varies from person to person on whether or not they include a fada over the a in their name. While the most famous Siobhán at the moment, “The Traitors Ireland” host Siobhán McSweeney, has a fada in her name, for this post, we’ll go without.
Appearing in the top 50 names for babies in Ireland as Siobhan without the fada from when records began in 1964 until the late nineties, the name reappeared on official charts with a fada in 2018.
A gorgeous name with strong roots in Irish history, Siobhan has been in use in Ireland for centuries. It’s pronounced ‘shiv-awn’, as the ‘bh’ in its Irish spelling is pronounced as ‘v’.
Meaning ‘God is gracious,’ this lovely moniker finds its origins in the Anglo-Norman namesake Jehane.
According to official CSO records, the name Siobhan without a fada was incredibly popular throughout the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, peaking in the 15th spot in 1971 with 401 baby girls given the name that year.
Remaining in the top 30 names in Ireland until 1989, the traditional Irish girl name began slowly declining in popularity before falling to the 184th spot in 2010, and later on, fewer than three new arrivals were given the name in 2023.
On the other hand, its fada counterpart did make an appearance last year, with ten little bundles of joy named Siobhán welcomed into the world.
Recently, the name has entered popular culture. The character ‘Shiv’ in the hugely popular TV show “Succession,” played by Sarah Snook, is sometimes called by the character’s full name – Siobhan.
There are even more characters called Siobhan, including Siobhan Corbyn from “American Horror Story” and Siobhan Sadler from “Orphan Black.” This echoes the rise in popularity of the name Maeve, which counts so many characters in its name, including a character played by Thandiwe Newton on the hit TV show “Westworld.” Maeve is also a character in the popular Netflix show “Sex Education,” and Queen Maeve appears in US superhero show “The Boys.”
While characters called Maeve usually go with the anglicised version, making it easier for people unfamiliar with Gaeilge to spell and pronounce, it’s great that people have to learn that the ‘bh’ in Siobhan is pronounced ‘the Irish way.’
How many people called Siobhan/Siobhán have you in your life?
