Show ContentsShirtliff History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Shirtliff family

The surname Shirtliff was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 1379 when John de Shirclyf held estates in that shire near Sheffield.

Early History of the Shirtliff family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shirtliff research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1510 is included under the topic Early Shirtliff History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shirtliff Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Shiercliffe, Shirtcliffe, Shirclyffe, Shercliffe, Shirtcliffe, Shirtliff, Shirtliffe, Shetliffe, Shortliffe, Shortlife, Shirtcliff, Shercliff, Surecliffe, Sureliff, Surelife, Shirecliff and many more.

Early Notables of the Shirtliff family

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

Migration of the Shirtliff family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: William Shercliffe, who came to Plymouth, MA sometime between 1620 and 1650; John Shirtcliffe, who arrived in Maryland in 1646; John Shirtliffe, who came to Maryland in 1646.


Contemporary Notables of the name Shirtliff (post 1700) +

  • M. Karl Shirtliff, American politician, U.S. Attorney for Idaho, 1977-81 1
  • Paul Robert Shirtliff (1962-2009), English footballer
  • Peter Andrew Shirtliff (b. 1961), English football coach and former player
  • F.R. "Dick" Shirtliff, co-founder of Davis & Shirtliff, one of East Africa’s largest suppliers of water related goods


  1. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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