Shane
An Irish surname and given-name form of John, with older writers also treating it as an Irish name element meaning ‘old’ or ‘worthy’ in some contexts.
The #4,796 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 41,881 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The most accepted explanation is that Shane is the Irish form of John, from Irish Seaghan/Seán, ultimately related to Hebrew Yohanan, meaning ‘God is gracious.’ Some 19th-century writers also tried to connect it with Irish words for ‘old’ or with a native Irish stem linked to esteem or strength, but those explanations are less secure. In surname use, it often functions as a patronymic or Anglicized form connected with Mac Shane, meaning ‘son of Shane/John.’
History
In Ireland, Shane was long used as a personal name and also appeared in hereditary surnames and clan-style bynames. Early modern records show it in forms such as Mac Shane, and the name was often treated by English-language scholars as the Irish equivalent of John. The surname also appears in some cases as an Anglicized or altered form under English spelling influence.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some older authorities linked Shane not only to John, but also to Irish descriptive bynames like Shane Buidhe (‘yellow-haired Shane’) and Shane Gearr (‘short Shane’), which shows how flexible Gaelic naming could be.
From the historical record
“SHANDLEY for Shanley, q.v. SHANE (Celt.-Heb.) an Irish form of John, q.v. [Ir. Seaghan; but this form seems really to be uue (with the dim. suft. -dii) to the Ir. seagh, esteem, worth, strength ; allied to the great Teut. name-stem sig-. victory] Cp. Shawn, Shone. SHANK "1 (Eng.) a nickname from some pecu- SHANKS J…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)