UK boy's name
Shaw
An anglicized variant of the Irish surname Ó Séaghdha meaning "descendant of Séaghdha".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2020. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Shaw is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Shaw popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2020 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3848, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2002, with 9 births.
This profile covers 50 England and Wales registrations across 10 recorded years from 1996 to 2020. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 44% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 55 living people in the UK are called Shaw. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2021 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Shaw ranked #3848 for boys in England and Wales in 2020, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2002, when 9 boys were registered as Shaw.
- • Shaw ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #727 in 2024.
- • About 55 living people in the UK are estimated to have Shaw as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3848
2020
Births in 2020
4
Latest year
Peak year
2002
9 births
Estimated living
55
2026
Meaning
What does Shaw mean?
The name Shaw has its origins in the Middle English word 'shawe', which means a small woody grove or thicket. This name likely emerged in the 13th or 14th century as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near a small wood or thicket.
In its earliest form, the name was spelled in various ways, such as 'Schawe', 'Shawes', or 'Shawe'. It's believed to be derived from the Old English word 'sceaga', which also means a small wood or grove.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Shaw can be found in the 14th-century Cheshire Pipe Rolls, which mention a person named Richard del Shawe. There are also records of individuals with the name Shaw in Yorkshire and Lancashire around the same time period.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the name Shaw. One of the earliest was George Shaw (1751-1813), an English botanist and zoologist who made significant contributions to the study of natural history.
Another notable Shaw was George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), the renowned Irish playwright, critic, and polemicist, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925 for his work in the field of drama.
In the realm of music, Artie Shaw (1910-2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, and bandleader, known for his innovative swing music and for leading one of the most popular big bands of the late 1930s and early 1940s.
Robert Shaw (1916-1999) was an American conductor and choral director who made significant contributions to the choral music scene in the United States. He founded the Robert Shaw Chorale and was widely regarded as one of the finest choral conductors of his time.
In the world of sports, Walter "Buck" Shaw (1910-1977) was an American football player and coach who served as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have borne the name Shaw throughout history, highlighting its enduring presence and significance across various fields and cultures.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Shaw over time
The chart below shows babies named Shaw registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2020. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Shaw, the clearest high point is 2002. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2020, compared with 9 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shaw by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Shaw was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #3848 | 4 | 1 |
| 2010s | #4812 | 3 | 1 |
| 2000s | #2693 | 24 | 5 |
| 1990s | #1767 | 19 | 3 |
Geography
Where Shaw is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Shaw. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Shaw ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #727 in 2024.
Across the UK
Shaw in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#727 in 2024
2 years of NRS records, 6 total registered
Related
Names similar to Shaw
- Samuel 108,505
- Sebastian 33,008
- Sam 20,889
- Stanley 16,354
- Sonny 15,028
- Sean 15,006
- Scott 12,587
- Seth 9,841
- Syed 9,050
- Stephen 8,884
- Spencer 8,333
- Steven 6,970
FAQ
Shaw: questions and answers
How popular is the name Shaw in the UK right now?
In 2020, Shaw was ranked #3848 for boys in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Shaw most popular?
The peak year on record was 2002, with 9 babies registered as Shaw in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Shaw?
An anglicized variant of the Irish surname Ó Séaghdha meaning "descendant of Séaghdha".
How many people are called Shaw in the UK?
A total of 50 babies have been registered as Shaw across the 10 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 6 more in Scotland.
Where is Shaw most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Shaw ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #727 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.