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McShane History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

McShane History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

All Irish surnames have a unique and often romantic meaning. The name McShane originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Seain, which translates as son of John.

Early Origins of the McShane family

The surname McShane 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.

Early History of the McShane family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McShane research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1750 is included under the topic Early McShane History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McShane Spelling Variations

Names during the Middle Ages were often recorded under several different spelling variations during the life of their bearers. Literacy was rare at that time and so how a person's name was recorded was decided by the individual scribe. Variations of the name McShane 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 McShane family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

McShane of Kerry

McShane Ranking

In the United States, the name McShane is the 7,522^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

McShane migration to the United States +

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 McShane:

McShane Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Charles McShane, who arrived in America in 1798 2

McShane Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Michael McShane, aged 26, who arrived in New York, NY in 1806 2
Edward McShane, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 2
Philip McShane, aged 24, who landed in Missouri in 1845 2
Arthur, Charles, Daniel, Edward, Francis, Hugh, James, John Michael, Patrick, Samuel, Thomas, and William McShane all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860
James McShane, who arrived in Mississippi in 1899 2

McShane migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McShane Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Rose McShane, aged 25, who arrived in Quebec in 1834
Sarah McShane, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Susan" in 1838
William McShane, aged 19, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Susan" in 1838

McShane migration to Australia +

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

McShane Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Ellen McShane, aged 35, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Constance" 3
Ellen McShane, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Constance" in 1849 3
William McShane, aged 27, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Sea Park" 4
Phillip McShane, aged 20, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Constantine"
James McShane, aged 27, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Admiral Boxer"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McShane 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:

McShane Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Alexander McShane, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Whitby" in 1841
Daniel McShane, aged 27, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jane Gifford" in 1842 5
Elizabeth McShane, aged 27, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jane Gifford" in 1842 5
Daniel McShane, aged 6, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jane Gifford" in 1842 5
Mr. Francis McShane, (b. 1846), aged 28, British settler travelling from England aboard the ship "Varuna" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 27th May 1874 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McShane (post 1700) +

Ian McShane (b. 1942), Golden Globe-winning English actor best remembered for his starring role in "Lovejoy" and more lately as Blackbeard in the Pirates of the Caribbean
Edward James McShane (1904-1989), American mathematician, known for his advancements of the calculus of variations, integration theory, stochastic calculus, and exterior ballistics, President of the American Mathematical Society
Jamie McShane, American actor from Saddle River, New Jersey, best known for his roles on Sons of Anarchy, Southland and Bloodline
Michael Jerome McShane (b. 1961), United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
Andrew James McShane (1865-1936), American politician, Mayor of New Orleans from 1920 to 1925
Patrick J. McShane, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1952 (alternate), 1956 7
Owen McShane, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Vermont, 1924 7
John Albert McShane (1850-1923), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Nebraska State House of Representatives, 1881-82; Member of Nebraska State Senate, 1883-86; U.S. Representative from Nebraska 1st District, 1887-89 7
John A. McShane, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania, 1933-54 7
Hugh F. McShane, American politician, Candidate for borough President of Queens, New York, 1969 7
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CONSTANCE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Constance.htm
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SEA PARK 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/seapark1852.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html