Sione

Sione is a masculine given name commonly used in Samoa and among Pacific Island communities. It is the Samoan form of the given name John, which itself derives from the Hebrew Yohanan and reached its form in Latin as Ioannes. In Samoan usage, Sione appears alongside other local renderings of John, and it is frequently encountered in Christian contexts where biblical names are common.

The name is widely used in Samoa and among the Samoan diaspora in New Zealand, Australia, and North America, reflecting the region’s Christian heritage and naming traditions. It is primarily a first name and is less commonly found as a surname, though it can appear within extended family naming sequences or as part of compound names.

Cultural and linguistic notes: Sione carries religious and cultural associations typical of biblical names in Polynesian communities. Pronunciation tends to follow Samoan phonology, with the emphasis usually on the second syllable. Variants in Samoan include Ioane, another common form for John, illustrating how different communities adapt biblical names to local speech patterns. The use of Sione thus reflects broader patterns of Christian naming practices in Samoa and the Pacific diaspora.