Show ContentsMcSherry History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The McSherry Ireland has two distinct sources. In southern Ulster, it was an Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Searraigh, "son of Searrach," in turn derived from the Gaelic word "searrach," meaning a "foal." It was also an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Séartha, "son of Séartha," that was taken on in Ireland by a Hodnett family of Welsh origin, after they had emigrated to County Cork. 1

Early Origins of the McSherry family

The surname McSherry was first found in at Courtmacsherry in County Cork (Irish: Corcaigh) the ancient Kingdom of Deis Muin (Desmond), located on the southwest coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat, some say before the Anglo Norman invasion of Ireland by Strongbow in 1172.

Early History of the McSherry family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McSherry research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1130, 1230, 1473, 1506, 1522, 1527, 1531, 1534, 1540, 1550 and 1664 are included under the topic Early McSherry History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McSherry Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Sherry, Sharry, O'Sherry, McSherry, McShiarie and many more.

Early Notables of the McSherry family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was Richard MacSherry who was killed at the battle of Muintis Eolais in County Leitrim in 1473. Richard Sherry or Shirrye (fl. 1550), was an English author, born about 1506 in the neighbourhood of London...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McSherry Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McSherry Ranking

In the United States, the name McSherry is the 11,998th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2


United States McSherry migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McSherry Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Daniel McSherry, who arrived in America in 1812 3
  • Joseph McSherry, who landed in South Carolina in 1831 3
  • Michael McSherry, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 3

Australia McSherry migration to Australia +

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

McSherry Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • John McSherry, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1846 4

New Zealand McSherry 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:

McSherry Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Mcsherry, British settler arriving as the 1st detachment of Royal New Zealand Fencible Corps travelling from Tilbury, Essex aboard the ship "Ramillies" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 6th August 1847 5
  • Mrs. Bridget Mcsherry, British settler travelling from Tilbury, Essex aboard the ship "Ramillies" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 6th August 1847 5

Contemporary Notables of the name McSherry (post 1700) +

  • John Patrick McSherry (1944-1996), American umpire who worked in the National League from 1971 to 1996
  • Brigadier-General Frank Johnson McSherry (1892-1977), American Deputy Chief of Allied Military Government Europe (1943-1944) 6
  • Richard McSherry (1817-1885), American physician, one of the founders of the Baltimore Academy of Medicine
  • James McSherry (1776-1849), American politician, former Congressional Representative from Pennsylvania
  • James McSherry (1842-1907), American jurist, former Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals
  • Michael J. McSherry, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 19th District, 1982 7
  • James McSherry (1776-1849), American politician, Member of Pennsylvania State Senate 11th District, 1815-17; U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 5th District, 1821-23 7
  • Frank D. McSherry, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, 1953-61 7
  • Elizabeth J. McSherry, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1960 7
  • Charles T. McSherry, American Democratic Party politician, Democratic Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 3rd District, 1938 (primary), 1940 7
  • ... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Empress of Ireland
  • Mr. James McSherry, British Assistant Steward from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 8
Grover Shoe factory
  • Mr. Thomas Mcsherry (b. 1858), American employee of the Grover Shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts on 20th March 1905 when the boiler exploded and collapsed the wooden building; he survived 9


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HOOGHLY 1846. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846Hooghly.htm
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  6. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2013, May 9) Frank McSherry. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/McSherry/Frank_Johnson/USA.html
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  8. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  9. California Digital Newspaper from 21st March 1905 (retrieved on 5th August 2021.) Retrieved from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19050321.2.19&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1


Houseofnames.com on Facebook