Show ContentsShand History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Shand family

The surname Shand was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland, where they held a family seat from ancient times, some say as early as the 12th century. In this county the name has been found in the parishes of Fyvie, Drumblade, Auchterless, Culsalmond, Forgue, Turriff, Gamrie and King Edward.

"A rare but old surname in Scotland. 'The surname of Shand seems originally to have been confined to the north-eastern counties, particularly Aberdeenshire, and in that county more especially to the districts comprising the parishes of: Turriff, Forgue, Drumblade, Auchterless, Culsalmond, Fyvie, King-Edward, and Garnrie." [1]

The family is said, by C.F. Shand, the family historian, to be descended from Philibert de Shaunde, Earl of Bath in 1485, who in turn, was descended from a noble house in Normandy. The Earl of Bath, Philibert Shaunde, was created by King Henry II of England and Normandy. Philibert was styled by the King as "Consanguineus noster." [2]

Further south in England, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include: Johannes Schaune, Webster; and Thomas Shan. [3]

Early History of the Shand family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shand research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1522, 1551 and 1672 are included under the topic Early Shand History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shand Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Shand, Chand, Schand, Chandai, Shandscross, Shawnd and many more.

Early Notables of the Shand family

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

Shand Ranking

In the United States, the name Shand is the 13,923rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [4]


United States Shand migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Shand Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Robert Shand, who landed in South Carolina in 1800 [5]
  • Peter I Shand, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1824 [5]
  • A. Shand who arrived in San Francisco, California, in 1852
  • William G Shand, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1853 [5]
  • Mr. David Shand, aged 19, Scottish settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863

New Zealand Shand 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:

Shand Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • A. W. Shand, aged 25, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Oriental" in 1840
  • Arch. Watson Shand, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Oriental
  • Mr. A. W. Shand, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Oriental" arriving in Port Nicholson, Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1840 [6]
  • Mrs. Shand, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Oriental" arriving in Port Nicholson, Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1840 [6]
  • James Shand, aged 46, a farm labourer, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" between 1841 and 1850
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Shand (post 1700) +

  • Alexander Burns Shand PC (1828-1904), 1st Baron Shand, a Scottish advocate and judge
  • Sir James "Jimmy" Shand MBE (1908-2000), Scottish musician
  • Camilla Rosemary Shand GCVO, CSM (b. 1947), birth name of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, the second wife of Charles, Prince of Wales
  • Thomas Philip "Tom" Shand (1911-1969), New Zealand politician of the National Party
  • Alexander Faulkner Shand FBA (1858-1936), English writer and barrister
  • Donald Munro Shand CMG (1904-1976), Australian grazier, founder of East-West Airlines (1947)
  • Ron Shand (1906-1993), Australian actor and comedian
  • Philip Morton Shand (1895-1960), English architect and design critic
  • Adam Shand (b. 1962), Australian writer and journalist
  • Mark Roland Shand (1951-2014), British travel writer and conservationist, chairman of Elephant Family, a wildlife foundation, brother of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
  • ... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Hood
  • Mr. Robert Shand (b. 1920), Scottish Able Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Stirling, Stirlingshire, Scotland, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking [7]


The Shand 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: Virtute duce comite fortuna
Motto Translation: With valor my leader and good fortune my companion.


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. 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)
  6. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  7. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm


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