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Shannon (given name)

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Template:Infobox given name Shannon is an Irish name, Anglicised from Sionainn. Alternative spellings include Shannen, Shanon, Shannan, Seanan, and Siannon. The variant Shanna is an Anglicisation of Sionna.

Sionainn derives from the Irish name Abha na tSionainn for the River Shannon. Because the suffix ain indicates a diminutive in Irish, the name is sometimes mistranslated as 'little wise one', but means 'possessor of wisdom'.

Some derive the denomination of Shannon (Irish: Sionnain) from the phrase sean-amhan or "old river."<ref>Wood, Thomas. An Inquiry concerning the Primitive Inhabitants of Ireland. London, 1821. 117. Print.</ref> Another reported derivation is from Ó Seanaigh, "descendant of Seanach", which yielded the surnames Shanahan and Shannon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Namesake

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The name Sionainn alludes to Sionna, a goddess in Irish mythology whose name means 'possessor of wisdom'. She is the namesake and matron of Sionainn, the River Shannon. The Shannon is the longest river in Ireland<ref name="behindthename">Template:Cite web</ref> and in the British Isles.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Sionainn is one of seven rivers of knowledge said to flow from Connla's Well, the well of wisdom in the Celtic Otherworld (the realm of the dead). Legends vary about the creation of the river, but they all recount the drowning of the Sionna, granddaughter of the great sea god Lir, usually at an undersea well. <ref>Bulik, Mark. The Sons of Molly Maguire: The Irish Roots of America's First Labor War. Fordham University Press, 2015. Print.</ref>

According to the legend, nine sacred hazel (or, by some accounts, rowan) trees grow near the well, and drop their bright red fruit in it and on the ground.<ref>Domhnaill, Fadó. Tales of Lesser Known Irish History. Leicestershire, UK: Matador, 2013.</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In the well live the Salmon of Knowledge, whose wisdom comes from eating this fruit. By eating the fruit or one of the salmon, one can share in this wisdom.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Shortened forms

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Shana and Shanna are familiar diminutives or forms of Shannon<ref>Lansky, Bruce. 10,000 Baby Names. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1985. 65. Print.</ref> or Sionna.

Popularity

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In the United States, the name first appeared on the Social Security Administration's list in 1881 for males.<ref>popular name list</ref> During the 1970s, American parents began to confer the name on boys and girls alike. It was during this time that the name's popularity peaked in the United States. In the 1990 United States Census, Shannon was the 317th most common name for American males.Template:Citation needed

Women

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Men

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See also

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References

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