Shannessy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Irish surnames are linked to the long Gaelic heritage of the Island nation. The original Gaelic form of the name Shannessy is Ó Seachnasaigh.

Early Origins of the Shannessy family

The surname Shannessy was first found in County Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island.

Early History of the Shannessy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shannessy research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1569, 1673, 1690, 1691 and 1744 are included under the topic Early Shannessy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shannessy Spelling Variations

One's name was often recorded under several different spellings during the life of its bearer during the Middle Ages. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origin of the Shannessy family name include O'Shaughnessy, Shaughnessy, O'Shanessy, Shanessy and others.

Early Notables of the Shannessy family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Ruaidhrí Gilla Dubh Ó Seachnasaigh (aka Sir Roger O'Shaughnessy) (died 1569), Irish Knight and Chief of the Name; Roger O'Shaughnessy, The O'Shaughnessy (d. 1690), Captain in the Irish...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Shannessy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shannessy migration to the United States +

In the 18th and 19th centuries hundreds of thousands of Irish people immigrated to North American shores. The early settlers were enticed by the promise of their own land, but they were moderately well off in Ireland when they decided to emigrate. Therefore, they were merely carrying out a long and carefully thought out decision. The 1840s saw the emergence of a very different trend: thousands of extremely desperate people crammed into passenger boats hoping to find any type of opportunity. The Irish of this decade had seen their homeland severely stricken by crop failures which resulted in widespread disease and starvation. At whatever time the Irish immigrants came to North America, they were instrumental in the rapid development of the emerging nations of the United States and what would become known as Canada. An exhaustive search of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many persons bearing the name Shannessy, or one of its variants:

Shannessy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Shannessy, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States, in 1895

Shannessy Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Frances W. Shannessy, aged 25, who immigrated to America from Dublin, in 1905
Wm. E. Shannessy, aged 49, who settled in America, in 1909
Frank Shannessy, aged 43, who landed in America, in 1919
William Shannessy, aged 21, who landed in America from Askeaton, Co. Limerick, Ireland, in 1921