Sherer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Sherer

What does the name Sherer mean?

Most of the old Irish surnames that can be found throughout the world today have their roots in the Gaelic language. The original Gaelic form of the name Sherer is Mac Giolla Phadraig, denoting a devotee of St. Patrick. This is the only native-Irish surname with the prefix "Fitz", as all others descend from the Normans.1

Early Origins of the Sherer family

The surname Sherer was first found in Ossory (Irish: Osraige), the former Kingdom of Ossory, now county Kilkenny, located in Southeastern Ireland in the province of Leinster, where they were the traditional Princes of Ossary, claiming descent from the O'Connors 2 and Giolla Padraig, a warlike chief in Ossary who lived in the second half of the 10th century. 1

Early History of the Sherer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sherer research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1535, 1558, 1581, 1585, 1612, 1652, 1727 and 1774 are included under the topic Early Sherer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sherer Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. The many regional dialects and the predominate illiteracy would have made common surnames appear unrelated to the scribes of the period. Research into the name Sherer revealed spelling variations, including Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatricks, Kilpatrick, Shera, Sherar, Sherra, Patchy, Patchie, Parogan, Parrican, Fitz, MacGilpatrick, McGilpatrick, MacIlpatrick, McIlpatrick, MacSherra, McSherra, McShera, MacShera, Sheera, McSheera and many more.

Early Notables of the Sherer family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Sir Barnaby Fitzpatrick, (1535?-1581), one of the first to submit to Henry VII and was knighted for his allegiance in 1558. He was the son and heir of Brian Fitzpatrick or MacGillapatrick, first lord...
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sherer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sherer Ranking

In the United States, the name Sherer is the 6,421^st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Sherer migration to the United States +

Many destitute Irish families in the 18th and 19th centuries decided to leave their homeland, which had in many ways been scarred by English colonial rule. One of the most frequent destinations for these families was North America where it was possible for an Irish family to own their own parcel of land. Many of the early settlers did find land awaiting them in British North America, or even later in America, but for the majority of immigrants that arrived as a result of the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s the ownership of land was often a long way off. These Irish people were initially put to work on such industrial projects as the building of bridges, canals, and railroads, or they worked at manufacturing positions within factories. Whenever they arrived, the Irish made enormous contributions to the infant nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the earliest immigrants to bearer the name of Sherer were found through extensive research of immigration and passenger lists:

Sherer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johannes Sherer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1730 4
Justice Sherer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1730 4
Maria Magdalena Sherer, aged 22, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 4
Hans Sherer, aged 30, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1733 4
Veronica Sherer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sherer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Sherer, aged 55, who landed in New York in 1800 4
George, Henry, James, John, Joseph, Justice, Lewis, and Michael Sherer all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1870
Jacob Sherer, who arrived in Indiana in 1851 4
George Sherer, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1866 4
Peter Sherer, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1874 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Sherer (post 1700) +

David McDonald Sherer Jr. (b. 1937), former American NFL football end
Teal Sherer (b. 1980), American actress, an advocate for the inclusion of performers with disabilities, best known for her portrayal of Venom in the web series The Guild
Rabbi Moshe Sherer (1921-1998), American co-Chairman of the Agudath Israel World Organization from 1980
Albert W. Sherer (1916-1986), American diplomat, 4th United States Ambassador to Togo (1967-1970), 1st United States Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea (1967-1970)
Moyle Sherer (1789-1869), English traveller and author, youngest son of Joseph Sherer, esq., of Southampton

The Sherer Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ceart laidir a boo
Motto Translation: Might is Right

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)