Shun

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Shuñ in PE Peru.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 3 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Shun is also recorded as 4 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Chinese given name26K records spelled Shun2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China

  Also written Shu-N

• Malay given name3.5K records spelled Shun3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Malaysia, Indonesia, United States, Hong Kong

  Languages: Malay, Indonesian

  Also written Shuñ

• Korean given name2.1K records spelled Shun4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Malaysia, South Korea, Hong Kong

  Also written 순휘, Shuñ, 슌야

• Hindi given name1.8K records spelled Shun5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in India, United States, Hong Kong, Malaysia

  Languages: Hindi, Urdu

  Also written Shuñ

57 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Shun is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In Chinese, nonstandard spelling of shǔn

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In English, v., hgaindi

  as a word·Vocabulary of the Mende Language

• ‘Smooth’.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

• In och, To move the eyes, wink; give a signal with the eyes; blink

  as a word·Schuessler, ABC Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese (2007)

• In och, To follow, inspection tour; obey; docile

  as a word·Schuessler, ABC Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese (2007)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 59 years between 1925–2023. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Taksinb. 1734THnot in their usual nameKing of Siam
• Shun Nakaharab. 1951JPJapanese film director
• Shun Sugatab. 1955JPJapanese actor
• Shun Medorumab. 1960JPJapanese novelist, progressive intellectual, and left-wing activist (1960-)
• Shun Ogurib. 1982JPJapanese actor, voice actor, and film director
• Shun Shioyab. 1982JPJapanese actor
• Shun Otokitab. 1983JPJapanese politician
• Shun Morishitab. 1986JPJapanese association football player
• Shin Limb. 1991CAnot in their usual nameCanadian-American magician
• Wang Shunb. 1994CNChinese swimmer

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 165 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Shun?

We estimate roughly 1.6 thousand people bear Shun (counting its spellings and scripts) across 9 countries in our records.

In which country does Shun have the most bearers?

Shun is most frequently recorded in Australia, where it is most often spelled shun.

How common is Shun compared with other names?

In Hong Kong, Shun is the 356th most common given name of 19,389 given names recorded there.

Is Shun a male or female name?

Shun is a male name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Shun mean?

Recorded meaning: To avoid, especially persistently; ostracize.