Contents [hide]

Sheehan History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Sources

Sheehan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
England

Etymology of Sheehan

What does the name Sheehan mean?

The spelling and overall form of Irish names tend to vary widely. The original Gaelic form of the name Sheehan is Ó Siodhachain, which may be derived from "siodhach," which means "peaceful."

While most of the family claim Ireland as their ancient homeland, England may be an origin of the family too, as Sheen can be found in Surrey and Staffordshire. 1

Early Origins of the Sheehan family

The surname Sheehan was first found in County Limerick (Irish: Luimneach) located in Southwestern Ireland, in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. 2

In England, the earliest record of the family was Robert Schene who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Somerset in 1226. John de Schene was listed in Cornwall in 1297. 1

Early History of the Sheehan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sheehan research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sheehan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sheehan Spelling Variations

Irish names were rarely spelled with much consistency during the Middle Ages. As the many spelling variations of the name Sheehan dating from that time attests: Sheehan, Sheeham, Sheahan, O'Sheehan, Sheagan and many more.

Early Notables of the Sheehan family

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

Sheehan World Ranking

In the United States, the name Sheehan is the 1,302^nd most popular surname with an estimated 22,383 people with that name. 3 However, in Australia, the name Sheehan is ranked the 666^th most popular surname with an estimated 5,881 people with that name. 4 And in New Zealand, the name Sheehan is the 723^rd popular surname with an estimated 989 people with that name. 5

Sheehan migration to the United States +

The 19th century brought a massive reduction in Ireland's population. It seemed that during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s the Irish people had two options: starve or immigrate. Those that chose the later frequently headed for the United States, hopeful for land, work, and equality. Those determined for free land joined the migration west; while others stayed behind to live in urban centers and often work in factories. Still others began a transitory life in work camps, building the bridges, canals, railways, and highways so critical to the rapidly development of the growing industrial nation. Early passenger and immigration lists have shown many early immigrants bearing the name Sheehan:

Sheehan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Sheehan, his wife Bridget, and six children arrived in Prescott in 1825
Godfrey Sheehan, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1827 6
Jeremiah Sheehan, who landed in Mississippi in 1840 6
Daniel, Denis, James, Michael, Patrick, Thomas, and William Sheehan all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1870
Cornelious Sheehan, who landed in Tippecanoe County, Ind in 1842 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sheehan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sheehan Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Walter Butler Sheehan U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1784 he served in the 34th Regiment 7

Sheehan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Tim Sheehan, who landed in Canada in 1823
Anne Sheehan, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1823
Cornelius Sheehan, who arrived in Canada in 1823
Honors Sheehan, who arrived in Canada in 1823
Joanna Sheehan, who arrived in Canada in 1823
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sheehan migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Sheehan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Cornelius Sheehan, (b. 1799), aged 19, Irish convict who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 9th August 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. John Sheehan, (Sheen), English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Cornelius Sheehan Mr. settled in New South Wales, Australia in 1823 10
Mr. Michael Sheehan, (Sheen), Irish ploughman who was convicted in Limerick, Ireland for 7 years for assault, transported aboard the "British Sovereign" on 16th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Ann Sheehan, aged 17, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Elgin" in 1849 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sheehan migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Sheehan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

David Sheehan, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship Bolivia
Daniel Sheehan, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Gipsy" in 1854
Mr. Daniel Sheehan, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gipsey" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 25th October 1854 13
Mrs. Sheehan, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gipsey" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 25th October 1854 13
Mr. Michael Sheehan, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gipsey" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 25th October 1854 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Sheehan (post 1700) +

Susan Sheehan (b. 1937), American journalist, she won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1983
Cornelius Mahoney "Neil" Sheehan (1936-2021), American journalist from Holyoke, Massachusetts who was awarded the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction and a National Book Award for his 1988 book A Bright Shining Lie
Michael Jarboe Sheehan (1939-2023), American prelate of the Catholic Church, 11th Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in New Mexico from 1993 to 2015
David Sheehan (1937-1938), American broadcaster, interviewer, host and reporter
Thomas Clancy "Tom" Sheehan (1894-1982), American Major League Baseball pitcher, scout and manager
Tyler Allen Sheehan (b. 1987), American football quarterback
Patty Sheehan (b. 1956), American professional LPGA golfer with 35 LPGA wins, inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame
William F "Blue Eyed Billy" Sheehan (1859-1917), American politician, Lieutenant Governor of New York, 1892-1894
Mark Anthony Sheehan (1976-2023), Irish musician, singer, composer and producer, member of the band Mytown (1996-2001)
Patrick Joseph "P.J." Sheehan (1933-2020), Irish Fine Gael politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork South-West constituency from 1981 to 2002 and 2007 to 2011
... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Sheehan family +

Grover Shoe factory

Mr. James Sheehan, American employee of the Grover Shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts on 20th March 1905 when the boiler exploded and collapsed the wooden building; he survived by leaping from the 3rd story window 14

SS Atlantic

Ellen Sheehan, Irish traveler aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking

SS Newfoundland

Mr. Mike Sheehan (b. 1895), Newfoundlander from St. John's, who on the 30th March 1914 he was part of the Seal Crew of the "SS Newfoundland" leaving the ship to intercept the Stephano which took him to the hunting grounds, he disembarked to begin sealing, but was caught in a thickening storm, attempting to return to the Newfoundland he and the 132 crew made camp for two days the sealers were stranded on the ice in a blizzard attempting to return to the ship, he survived

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/british-sovereign
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ELGIN 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Elgin.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
California Digital Newspaper from 21st March 1905 (retrieved on 5th August 2021.) Retrieved from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19050321.2.19&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1