Shannon (surname)
Shannon, MacShannon, and O'Shannon are Anglicised Irish and Scottish surnames that derive from the Gaelic word seanachaidh, which means "skilled storyteller". Seanachaidh is descended from the Old Irish word senchaid.
Other forms of the name are O'Shawnessey or O'Shannahan.
Several old Gaelic names of Scottish and Irish people alike were Anglicised as Shannon, despite being unrelated.
The 1990 United States Census found that Shannon was a very common surname in the United States.
People with the surname Shannon
Academics
- Frederick A. Shannon, American herpetologist
- Richard Shannon (historian), British historian
Artists
- David Shannon, American author
- Del Shannon, American rock and roll musician
- Frank Shannon, Irish-American actor and writer
- James Jebusa Shannon, Anglo-American painter
- Joe Shannon, Puerto Rican artist, art critic, curator, and art professor
- John Shannon (musician), American modern folk guitarist, vocalist, and composer
- Johnny Shannon, English actor
- Julia Shannon, American daguerreotypist
- Mem Shannon, American blues singer-guitarist
- Michael Shannon, American actor
- Molly Shannon, American actor
- Preston Shannon, American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter
- Richard Shannon (American writer), American writer
- Robert T. Shannon, American screenwriter
- Sharon Shannon, Irish musician
- T. Sean Shannon, American performer and writer
- Terry Shannon, American engineer and writer
- Tommy Shannon, American bassist
Journalists
- Bob Shannon (Radio), Canadian journalist
- Bob Shannon (WCBS-FM), American journalist
- Mark Shannon, American journalist
- Paul Shannon, American journalist
- Scott Shannon, American journalist
- William V. Shannon, American journalist
Military personnel
- Christopher Shannon (RAF airman), English World War I flying ace
- Dave Shannon, Australian airman
- John W. Shannon, United States Under Secretary of the Army
Politicians
- David Shannon, South Australian politician
- George Shannon (explorer), also U.S. Senator
- Harvey Alex Shannon, American Confederate States Army personnel, physician, and politician
- Howard Shannon, Australian politician
- James Shannon, South Australian politician
- James Michael Shannon, American politician
- John Wallace Shannon, South Australian politician
- Nate Shannon, American politician
- Peter Shannon, Australian diplomat
- Richard C. Shannon, US Representative from New York
- Steve Shannon, American politician
- Thomas A. Shannon, Jr., American diplomat
Scientists
- Claude Shannon, American mathematician, electrical engineer and cryptographer known as "the father of information theory"
- Frederick A. Shannon, American biologist
- Raymond Corbett Shannon, American entomologist
- Robert D. Shannon, American chemist
Sportspeople
- Darrin Shannon, Canadian hockey player
- Darryl Shannon, Canadian hockey player
- Frank Shannon (baseball), American baseball player
- Les Shannon, English football player and manager
- Mike Shannon, American baseball player and sportscaster
- Noah Shannon, American football player
- Rab Shannon, Scottish football player
- Randy Shannon, American football coach
- Ryan Shannon, American hockey player
- Terrence Shannon Jr., American basketball player
Others
- Abe Shannon, South Australian pastoralist
- Ricard Shannon, American film and television actor
Fictional characters
- Bull Shannon, bailiff in the Night Court TV sitcom
- Paul Shannon, a character in the 1993 American action thriller movie ''The Fugitive''