Shaint History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of Shaint

All Irish surnames have a unique and often romantic meaning. The name Shaint originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Seain, which translates as son of John.

Early Origins of the Shaint family

Early History of the Shaint family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shaint research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1750 is included under the topic Early Shaint History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shaint Spelling Variations

Because early scribes and church officials often spelled names as they sounded, a person could have many various spellings of his name.Many different spelling variations of the surname Shaint were found in the archives researched. These included McShane, McShain, McShaen, MacShane, MacShain, MacShaen, MacCheyne, McCheyne, McSheyne, MacSheyne, McCheine, McChain, MacCheine, MacChain, McChein, McShaney, McShanie and many more.

Early Notables of the Shaint family

More information is included under the topic Early Shaint Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Shaint family

In the 18th and 19th centuries, thousands of Irish families fled an Ireland that was forcibly held through by England through its imperialistic policies. A large portion of these families crossed the Atlantic to the shores of North America. The fate of these families depended on when they immigrated and the political allegiances they showed after they arrived. Settlers that arrived before the American War of Independence may have moved north to Canada at the war's conclusion as United Empire Loyalists. Such Loyalists were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Those that fought for the revolution occasionally gained the land that the fleeing Loyalist vacated. After this period, free land and an agrarian lifestyle were not so easy to come by in the East. So when seemingly innumerable Irish immigrants arrived during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s, free land for all was out of the question. These settlers were instead put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Whenever they came, Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Shaint or a variant listed above, including: John and Joseph McShain settled in Philadelphia in 1860.