Meaning and history
Shaw is an English and Scottish given name transferred from several surnames. One source is Old English sceaga, meaning “wood” or “thicket”; another is the Gaelic personal name Sitheach, traditionally connected with “wolf.” Because different families produced the surname independently, no single meaning applies universally. As a first name it retains this surname history. Notable bearers include British actor Shaw Taylor and British Salvation Army general Shaw Clifton.
20062006: 31 births, rank #3,384
2007: 25 births, rank #4,011
2008: 19 births, rank #4,901
2009: 18 births, rank #5,102
2010: 15 births, rank #5,741
20112011: 25 births, rank #3,994
2012: 36 births, rank #3,115
2013: 29 births, rank #3,582
2014: 25 births, rank #4,014
2015: 31 births, rank #3,513
20162016: 33 births, rank #3,358
2017: 28 births, rank #3,781
2018: 31 births, rank #3,524
2019: 31 births, rank #3,571
2020: 39 births, rank #2,980
20212021: 32 births, rank #3,497
2022: 34 births, rank #3,412
2023: 26 births, rank #4,112
2024: 25 births, rank #4,200
20252025: 21 births, rank #4,707
In 2025, 21 babies were recorded with the name Shaw, ranking #4,707 among boys.