Contents [hide]

Sheehy History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Sheehy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The Irish name Sheehy is derived from the Gaelic "Mac Sithigh," which is probably derived from "sithigh," meaning "peace." 1

Early Origins of the Sheehy family

The surname Sheehy was first found in Limerick (Irish: Luimneach) located in Southwestern Ireland, in the province of Munster, where they have held a family seat from ancient times and it is said that they arrived in Limerick about 1400, having come from the north where they were a branch of the McDonnells of Antrim. The sept were "gallowglasses," mercenary soldiers who fought for kings and chiefs. In Limerick they served the Earl of Desmond and held a family seat near the town of Rathkeale. 2

Early History of the Sheehy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sheehy research. Another 139 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1642, 1728, 1766, 1841, 1844, 1885, 1900, 1903, 1917, 1918 and 1932 are included under the topic Early Sheehy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sheehy Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Sheehy, McSheehy, MacSheehy, Sheehey, Sheehee, McSheehey, McSheehee, MacSheehey, MacSheehee, O'Sheehy and many more.

Early Notables of the Sheehy family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Bernard (Brian) McSheehy, Adjutant General, Aide-de-Camp to Napoleon
Father Nicholas Sheehy (1728-1766) was an Irish Roman Catholic priest who was executed on the charge of being an accessory to murder. He was a prominent and vocal opponent of the Penal Laws, which sub...
Father Eugene Sheehy (1841-1917) was a Irish priest, president of the local branch of the Irish National Land League at Kilmallock, founding member of the Gaelic Athletic Association. He was born in B...
David Sheehy (1844-1932) was an Irish nationalist politician, Member of parliament (MP) from 1885 to 1900 and from 1903 to 1918

Sheehy Ranking

In the United States, the name Sheehy is the 9,501^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Sheehy migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sheehy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Edmund Sheehy, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1815
Cathn. Sheehy, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1817
William Sheehy, who was on record in Allegheny Coujty, Pennsylvania in 1828
William Sheehy, aged 30, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1828 4
Bridget Sheehy, who was on record in Massachusetts in 1854

Sheehy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sheehy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Edmond Sheehy, who arrived in Quebec in 1825
Bryan Sheehy, who settled in New Brunswick in 1840

Sheehy migration to Australia +

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

Sheehy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Sheehy, (b. 1798), aged 24, Irish convict who was convicted in County Kerry, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Brampton" on 8th November 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
John Sheehy, a shoemaker, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
Patrick Sheehy, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Mary Dugdale" in 1840 6
Edward Sheehy, aged 38, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Emerald Isle" 7
John Sheehy, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Lady Ann"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sheehy 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:

Sheehy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Jeremiah Sheehy, aged 23, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jessie Osborne" in 1867
Mary Sheehy a housemaid, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jessie Osborne" in 1867
Mr. John Sheehy, (b. 1856), aged 21, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Marlborough" arriving in Bluff, South Island, New Zealand on 4th November 1877 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Sheehy (post 1700) +

Gail Sheehy (1937-2020), née Henion, an American author, journalist, and lecturer from Mamaroneck, New York
Sir Patrick Sheehy (1930-2019), British businessman, Chairman of British American Tobacco (BAT)
John Patrick Sheehy (b. 1942), American architect
Timothy Kane "Tim" Sheehy (b. 1948), Canadian-born, American silver medalist ice hockey player
Neil Kane Sheehy (b. 1960), Canadian-born, American retired NHL ice hockey player
Paul Sheehy (b. 1963), American rugby player for the USA Eagles at the 1991 Rugby World Cup
Timothy Kane "Tim" Sheehy (b. 1948), Canadian-born, American silver medalist ice hockey player, ECAC Hockey Player of the Year (1969–1970)
Rick Sheehy (b. 1959), American Republican politician, 38th Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska (2005-2013) 9
Patrick F Sheehy, American specialist in medical oncology and hematology
Kathy Sheehy (b. 1970), American water polo player, winner of the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics
... (Another 28 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Brampton
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MARY DUGDALE 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840MaryDugdale.gif
South Australian Register Tuesday 17th January 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Emerald Isle 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/emeraldisle1854.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html