Shamus
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- SHAY-mus
- Origin
- Irish
- US rank, 2025
- #8,239 for boys
Shamus is a boys' name of Irish origin, meaning “supplanter”. In 2025 it ranked 8,239th for boys in the US (9 babies).
What does Shamus mean?
Irish: anglicised spelling of Seamus, the Irish form of James
“supplanter”
Anglicised spelling of Seamus, the Irish form of James, which comes from Jacob.
Is Shamus a girl's or a boy's name?
Shamus is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 9 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Shamus in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1998, with 13 boys.
Half of all the boys named Shamus in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2007. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Shamus in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 3 | #5,017 |
| 2021 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 3 | #5,015 |
| 2015 | 1 | #6,220 |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 3 | #4,884 |
| 2012 | 1 | #6,332 |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 8 | #2,534 |
| 2009 | 5 | #3,395 |
| 2008 | 5 | #3,305 |
| 2007 | 7 | #2,554 |
| 2006 | 3 | #4,204 |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 7 | #2,157 |
| 2003 | 13 | #1,328 |
| 2002 | 9 | #1,594 |
| 2001 | 5 | #2,326 |
| 2000 | 9 | #1,503 |
| 1999 | 8 | #1,582 |
| 1998 | 13 | #1,112 |
| 1997 | 9 | #1,412 |
| 1996 | 10 | #1,290 |
How popular is Shamus in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 8,239th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 9 about 1 in 190,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to call too few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 9 boys in the US were named Shamus, making it the 8,239th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 10,599th. Its busiest year was 2007, with 72 boys. It first appears in the records in 1959.
Half of all the boys named Shamus in the US since 1880 were born between 1981 and 2007, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 169 boys in the US were given Shamus or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,088, up from #8,239 for this spelling alone.
Shamus in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | #8,239 |
| 2024 | 0 | – |
| 2023 | 9 | #8,250 |
| 2022 | 7 | #9,815 |
| 2021 | 11 | #7,084 |
| 2020 | 6 | #10,599 |
| 2019 | 9 | #8,209 |
| 2018 | 9 | #8,150 |
| 2017 | 16 | #5,522 |
| 2016 | 24 | #4,198 |
| 2015 | 19 | #4,888 |
| 2014 | 18 | #5,062 |
| 2013 | 26 | #3,862 |
| 2012 | 26 | #3,891 |
| 2011 | 35 | #3,163 |
| 2010 | 38 | #3,013 |
| 2009 | 53 | #2,400 |
| 2008 | 59 | #2,236 |
| 2007 | 72 | #1,951 |
| 2006 | 70 | #1,918 |
| 2005 | 51 | #2,293 |
| 2004 | 43 | #2,527 |
| 2003 | 35 | #2,776 |
| 2002 | 40 | #2,466 |
| 2001 | 35 | #2,676 |
| 2000 | 44 | #2,218 |
| 1999 | 39 | #2,297 |
| 1998 | 44 | #2,091 |
| 1997 | 41 | #2,123 |
| 1996 | 37 | #2,213 |
| 1995 | 42 | #1,983 |
| 1994 | 33 | #2,342 |
| 1993 | 41 | #1,964 |
| 1992 | 28 | #2,527 |
| 1991 | 25 | #2,677 |
| 1990 | 20 | #3,052 |
| 1989 | 25 | #2,539 |
| 1988 | 30 | #2,085 |
| 1987 | 20 | #2,637 |
| 1986 | 22 | #2,427 |
| 1985 | 19 | #2,596 |
| 1984 | 23 | #2,231 |
| 1983 | 27 | #1,954 |
| 1982 | 31 | #1,814 |
| 1981 | 38 | #1,576 |
| 1980 | 45 | #1,410 |
| 1979 | 42 | #1,435 |
| 1978 | 37 | #1,537 |
| 1977 | 50 | #1,252 |
| 1976 | 34 | #1,571 |
| 1975 | 53 | #1,160 |
| 1974 | 46 | #1,229 |
| 1973 | 35 | #1,435 |
| 1972 | 20 | #2,020 |
| 1971 | 11 | #2,971 |
| 1970 | 11 | #2,890 |
| 1969 | 12 | #2,548 |
| 1968 | 6 | #3,672 |
| 1967 | 7 | #3,229 |
| 1966 | 8 | #2,985 |
| 1965 | 5 | #3,928 |
| 1964 | 0 | – |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 7 | #3,289 |
Names like Shamus
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Muhammad, Ahmed, Hamza, Abdullah, Hassan, Musa, Saif, Umar, Mustafa, Raheem, Fahad, Ibrahim
Other spellings of Shamus
Names related to Shamus
More Irish names
Oscar, Rowan, Rory, Maeve, Finn, Aiden, Ryan, Nolan, Quinn, Orla, Cody, Erin, Ronan, Connor, Declan, Casey
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Shamus: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/shamus, updated 20 October 2026.