Smallshaw History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

Originally, Smallshaw was a nickname for a person who was small in stature. Smallshaw is a nickname surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Nicknames form a broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, and can refer directly or indirectly to one's personality, physical attributes, mannerisms, or even their habits of dress. The surname Smallshaw derived from the Old English word smal, which means narrow, thin, or small, and referred to a person who was of slender build, or of small stature. This surname was established in Renfrew (now part of the Strathclyde region), prior to the Norman invasion of England, in 1066.

Early Origins of the Smallshaw family

The surname Smallshaw was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, where Richard Small was the Canon of Glasgow in 1329.

Early History of the Smallshaw family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Smallshaw research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1326, 1329, 1407, 1447, 1503, 1625, 1714 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Smallshaw History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Smallshaw Spelling Variations

Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. Smallshaw has appeared in various documents spelled Small, Smalle, Smal and others.

Early Notables of the Smallshaw family

Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Smallshaw Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Smallshaw family to Ireland

Some of the Smallshaw family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Smallshaw family

Descendents of Dalriadan-Scottish families still populate many communities across North America. They are particularly common in Canada, since many went north as United Empire Loyalists at the time of the American War of Independence. Much later, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the highland games and Clan societies that now dot North America sprang up, allowing many Scots to recover their lost national heritage. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Smallshaw, or a variant listed above: Edward and Francis Small, who settled in Maine in 1620; the same year as the "Mayflower"; Elizabeth Small, who settled in Virginia in 1639; Henry Small, who settled in Virginia in 1636.

Contemporary Notables of the name Smallshaw (post 1700) +

Steve Smallshaw, American journalist

The Smallshaw 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: Ratione non ira
Motto Translation: By reason, not by rage.