All Irish surnames have a unique and often romantic meaning. The name Shen originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Seain, which translates as son of John.
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Early Origins of the Shen family
The surname Shen was first found in County Kerry (Irish:Ciarraí) part of the former County Desmond (14th-17th centuries), located in Southwestern Ireland, in Munster province, where they were granted lands by Strongbow when he invaded Ireland in 1172.
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Early History of the Shen family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shen research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1750 is included under the topic Early Shen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Shen Spelling Variations
Individual scribes in the Ireland during the Middle Ages would often record a person's name various ways. How the name was recorded depended on what that particular scribe believed the proper spelling for the name pronounced to him was. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origin of the Shen family name include McShane, McShain, McShaen, MacShane, MacShain, MacShaen, MacCheyne, McCheyne, McSheyne, MacSheyne, McCheine, McChain, MacCheine, MacChain, McChein, McShaney, McShanie and many more.
Early Notables of the Shen family
More information is included under the topic Early Shen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Shen Ranking
In the United States, the name Shen is the 10,565th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1
Migration of the Shen family
Irish families began to immigrate to British North America and the United States in the 18th century, but the greatest influx of Irish immigrants came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. The earlier settlers came to North America after a great deal of consideration and by paying relatively high fees for their passage. These settlers were primarily drawn by the promise of land. Those later settlers that came during the 1840's were trying to escape the conditions of poverty, starvation, disease, and death that had stricken Ireland. Due to the enormity of their numbers and the late date of their arrival, these immigrants primarily became hired laborers instead of homesteading settlers like their predecessors. An exhaustive search of immigration and passenger lists has revealed many Irish immigrants North America bearing the name Shen: John and Joseph McShain settled in Philadelphia in 1860.
Ireland
