Show ContentsShew History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Shew

What does the name Shew mean?

The ancient Scottish name Shew is carried by the descendents of the Pictish people. It was a name for a person who shared some of the qualities attributed to a wolf. Shew is a nickname surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Nicknames form a broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, and can refer directly or indirectly to one's personality, physical attributes, mannerisms, or even their habits of dress. The surname Shew is derived from the Gaelic first name Sithech, which means wolf.

Early Origins of the Shew family

The surname Shew was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland, where the family appears to have been firmly entrenched in the Eastern coastal regions well before 1000 AD.

While some claim that the Clan originally descended from a MacDuff, one of the ancient Earls of Fife, the first official mention in documents shows them to be present at the General Council held by King Malcolm at Forfar in 1061.

However, this ancient leadership was challenged by many other Clans Commyns (Cummings) who had leased the Shaw lands of Rothiemurchus.

Early History of the Shew family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shew research. Another 369 words (26 lines of text) covering the years 1178, 1226, 1405, 1411, 1527, 1550, 1602, 1608, 1625, 1672, 1692, 1751, 1774, 1776, 1799, 1804, 1826, 1832, 1849, 1876 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Shew History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shew Spelling Variations

Translation has done much to alter the appearance of many Scottish names. It was a haphazard process that lacked a basic system of rules. Spelling variations were a common result of this process. Shew has appeared Shaw, Shawe, Mac Ghille-Sheathanaich (Gaelic) and others.

Early Notables of the Shew family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Robert Shaw (died 1527), Scottish cluniac monk and prelate; William Schawe (1550-1602), Scottish architect, probably a younger son of Schaw of Sauchie; John Shawe or Shaw (1608-1672), an English puritan minister from Yorkshire...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Shew Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shew Ranking

In the United States, the name Shew is the 12,729th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Shew family to Ireland

Some of the Shew family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 123 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Shew migration to the United States +

Many Scots left their country to travel to the North American colonies in search of the freedom they could not find at home. Of those who survived the difficult voyage, many found the freedom they so desired. There they could choose their own beliefs and allegiances. Some became United Empire Loyalists and others fought in the American War of Independence. The Clan societies and highland games that have sprung up in the last century have allowed many of these disparate Scots to recover their collective national identity. A search of immigration and passenger ship lists revealed many early settlers bearing the Shew name:

Shew Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Andrew Shew, who arrived in Maryland in 1651-1652 2
Shew Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Christian Shew, aged 27, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1753 2
Shew Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • W Shew, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 2

Shew migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Shew Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. William Shew U.E. who settled in Carleton [Saint John City], New Brunswick c. 1784 3

Shew migration to Australia +

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

Shew Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Jane Shew, (b. 1834), aged 13 who was convicted in Wells, Somerset, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 4th September 1847, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Shew (post 1700) +

  • William Shew (1820-1903), early American portrait photographer who used the Daguerrotype process
  • Robert "Bobby" Shew (b. 1941), American jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player
  • Nancy E. Shew, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 2000 5
  • John Shew, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Dublin, 1874 5
  • Jacob Shew, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Montgomery County, 1817-18 5

USS Arizona
  • Mr. Martin L. Shew, American Machinist's Mate Third Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 6


The Shew 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: I mean well


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. 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
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  6. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


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