Sion

Sion commonly represents Welsh Siôn without its circumflex accent. Siôn is a Welsh form of John, ultimately connected with the Hebrew name traditionally interpreted as “God is gracious.” Its Welsh pronunciation belongs to the same broad sound family as Sean and Shaun, rather than following the separate English reading of the biblical place-name Zion.

The accented spelling Siôn makes the Welsh identity especially clear. Other Welsh forms in the John family include Ioan and Ieuan, which have their own histories and pronunciations. Sion can also occur as a spelling of the place-name Zion in religious texts, but that is a different naming route with a different etymology. For a family choosing the Welsh personal name, preserving its language context explains both the sound and the gracious meaning.