Seamus
About Seamus
Parents who have tired of Sean are now contemplating Seamus, the Irish form of James, which has a lot more substance and verve.
One of the name's most famous bearers is the 1995 Nobel Prize-winning Irish poet Seamus Heaney. Seamus is also a Harry Potter name—Seamus Finnigan is a half-blood wizard friend of Harry's.
At a time when the police force was predominantly Irish, "shamus" became a slang term for a detective.
Pronounced SHAY-mus.
As of October 2026, Seamus ranked #1280 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #735 in 2003, Nameberry popularity #685.
Editor's take: The name Seamus is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "supplanter".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #903 | 239 | 124.4 |
| 2015 | #946 | 221 | 115.3 |
| 2016 | #953 | 218 | 114.9 |
| 2017 | #979 | 211 | 114 |
| 2018 | #1,105 | 178 | 98 |
| 2019 | #1,046 | 197 | 109.8 |
| 2020 | #1,195 | 161 | 93.3 |
| 2021 | #1,223 | 158 | 90.3 |
| 2022 | #1,319 | 143 | 81.9 |
| 2023 | #1,366 | 137 | 80.1 |
| 2024 | #1,450 | 125 | 72.6 |
| 2025 | #1,280 | 154 | 90.2 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Seamus.
- Byron
- Ewan
- Roland
- Darcy
- Henrik
- Desmond
- Joash
- Emil
- Griffith
- Hamish
- Samson
- Simeon
- Dashiell
- Abram
- Solomon
- Lionel
- Ephraim
- Ira
- Edmond
- Fergus
Seamus on lists
Famous Seamuss
- Seamus Deane
Northern Irish poet and novelist
- Seamus Justin Heaney
Northern Irish poet
- Seamus McGarvey
Northern Irish cinematographer
- Seamus Patrick Dever
American actor
- Seamus Thomas Harris O'Regan
Canadian politician and TV personality
- Seamus Frederick Mallon
Northern Irish politician
- Seamus Liam Davey
Fitzpatrick, American actor
- Seamus Anthony "Shay" Brennan
Irish footballer
- Seamus "Shay" Keogh
Irish footballer
- Seamus "Shay" Elliott
Irish cyclist
Seamus in pop culture
- Seamus Finnigan
character in the "Harry Potter" series
- Seamus McTiernen
character in film "The Luck of the Irish"
- "Seamus
" song by Pink Floyd