Show ContentsShine History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Shine surname originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Sionnaigh, which is derived from "sionnach," which means "fox." 1

Early Origins of the Shine family

The surname Shine was first found in County Mayo (Irish: Maigh Eo) located on the West coast of the Republic of Ireland in the province of Connacht, where they held a family seat. This most ancient Irish surname is derived from Sionnach, the Fox, an epithet used by the Chief of the Irish Cathernaigh Clann, a branch of the northern Ui Fiachrach.

However, some of the family were found in England in early days and there, the name was an occupational name for a Shinner or Skinner from the Old English word "scinn" meaning "skin." 2 There we found John le Scinner in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279 in Cambridgeshire; Geoffrey le Schinner in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296; and John Schynnere in Hampshire in 1305. 2

The shortened form of the name Shinn or Shynn was first found in Suffolk in the Pipe Rolls of 1165 where Herveus Schinn was listed. Hugo Scin was later found in the Pipe Rolls for Herefordshire in 1190. 2

Early History of the Shine family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shine research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1845 is included under the topic Early Shine History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shine Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, a standardized literary language known by the general population of Ireland was a thing of fiction. When a person's name was recorded by one of the few literate scribes, it was up that particular scribe to decide how to spell an individual's name. So a person could have several spelling variations of his name recorded during a single lifetime. Research into the name Shine revealed many variations, including Shiner, Shinner, Shunny, Shunagh, Shunnagh, Shinnick, Shinnock, Shinick and many more.

Early Notables of the Shine family

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

Shine Ranking

In the United States, the name Shine is the 5,473rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3


United States Shine migration to the United States +

In the 18th and 19th centuries, thousands of Irish families fled an Ireland that was forcibly held through by England through its imperialistic policies. A large portion of these families crossed the Atlantic to the shores of North America. The fate of these families depended on when they immigrated and the political allegiances they showed after they arrived. Settlers that arrived before the American War of Independence may have moved north to Canada at the war's conclusion as United Empire Loyalists. Such Loyalists were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Those that fought for the revolution occasionally gained the land that the fleeing Loyalist vacated. After this period, free land and an agrarian lifestyle were not so easy to come by in the East. So when seemingly innumerable Irish immigrants arrived during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s, free land for all was out of the question. These settlers were instead put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Whenever they came, Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Shine or a variant listed above, including:

Shine Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Danll Shine, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 4
Shine Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jacob Shine, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1803 4
  • John Shine, aged 23, who landed in Missouri in 1840 4
  • James Shine, aged 30, who arrived in New York in 1864 4
Shine Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Aron Shine, aged 9, who landed in America from Warsaw, in 1900
  • Bridget Shine, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States from Kichmore, in 1900
  • Abraham Shine, aged 38, who immigrated to the United States from Dublin, in 1905
  • Adolph Shine, aged 32, who landed in America from London, England, in 1907
  • Cornelius Shine, aged 30, who immigrated to America from Litchfield, England, in 1913
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Shine migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Shine Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Martin Shine, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1828

Australia Shine migration to Australia +

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

Shine Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Dennis Shine, (Sheene, Sheen, Cheyne), (b. 1799), aged 21, Irish labourer who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he was murdered in 1846 5

New Zealand Shine 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:

Shine Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Patrick Shine, aged 47, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Inchinnan" in 1852 6
  • Eliza Shine, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Inchinnan" in 1852 6
  • Mary Ann Shine, aged 10, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Inchinnan" in 1852 6
  • Ellen Shine, aged 8, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Inchinnan" in 1852 6
  • Patrick Shine, aged 2, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Inchinnan" in 1852 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Shine (post 1700) +

  • Michael Lyle Shine (b. 1953), American Olympic silver medalist athlete
  • William O. Shine, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Michigan 16th District, 1950, 1952 7
  • William Shine, American politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Kings County 15th District, 1934 7
  • Steve Shine, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Indiana, 2012 7
  • Mary Ellen Shine, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maryland, 1996 7
  • John W. Shine, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Circuit Judge in Michigan 11th Circuit, 1912; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1916, 1920 7
  • James Shine, American politician, Member of North Carolina State Senate from Jones County, 1815-16 7
  • Hugh D. Shine, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 1988; Candidate for U.S. Representative from Texas 11th District, 1990; Candidate for Texas State Senate 24th District, 1994 7
  • F. E. Shine, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arizona, 1912 7
  • Carolyn L. Shine, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1988 7
  • ... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

RMS Titanic
  • Miss Ellen Natalia Shine, aged 20, Irish Third Class passenger from Cork, Cork who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking 8


  1. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
  6. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  8. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html


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