Shearing History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The surname Shearing is derived from Mac Searthuin, which means son of Searthun. The personal name Searthun is equivalent to Geoffrey.
Early Origins of the Shearing family
The surname Shearing was first found in County Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel, where they held a family seat, some say before the Anglo Norman invasion of Ireland by Strongbow in 1172. However, others claim that it is an offshoot of the Prendergast Clan in County Mayo, where they adopted the Gaelic name of O'Sirin, and established themselves on the Donegal/Fermanagh border about the year 1250.
Early History of the Shearing family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shearing research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1659 and 1673 are included under the topic Early Shearing History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Shearing Spelling Variations
During the lifetime of an individual person, his name was often spelt by church officials and medieval scribes the way it sounded. An examination of the many different origins of each name has revealed many spelling variations for the name: Shearing, Sheering, Sheeran, Sharron, Sherren, Sherran, Shirran, Sheeran, Sheerin, O'Shearing, O'Sheering, O'Sheeran, O'Sharron, O'Sherren, O'Sherran, O'Shirran, O'Sheeran, O'Shearing and many more.
Early Notables of the Shearing family
More information is included under the topic Early Shearing Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Shearing migration to the United States +
Ireland's Great Potato Famine left the country's inhabitants in extreme poverty and starvation. Many families left their homeland for North America for the promise of work, freedom and land ownership. Although the Irish were not free of economic and racial discrimination in North America, they did contribute greatly to the rapid development of bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Eventually, they would be accepted in other areas such as commerce, education, and the arts. An examination of immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Shearing:
Shearing Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- David Shearing, aged 13, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1829 1
- John Shearing, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 1
Shearing migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Shearing Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Samuel, Richard and Stephen Shearing who settled at Bona Vista, Newfoundland in 1792 2
Shearing migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Shearing Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. John Shearing, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3
- Mr. Frederick Shearing, English convict who was convicted in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 20th August 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
- George Shearing, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Buckinghamshire" in 1839 5
- Eliza Shearing, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Buckinghamshire" in 1839 5
- Charlotte Shearing, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Buckinghamshire" in 1839 5
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Shearing (post 1700) +
- Miriam Mattinen Shearing (b. 1935), American lawyer and retired jurist, Justice of the Supreme Court of Nevada (1993-2005)
- Sir George Shearing OBE (1919-2011), English jazz musician and composer of over 300 titles from Battersea, London, recipient of numerous awards including two Grammys, Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1993, "Lifetime Achievement Award" from BBC Jazz Awards in 2003 and many more
- Dinah Hilary Shearing AM (1926-2021), Australian actress who appeared on stage, radio, television and films, known for Farscape (1999), All the Rivers Run (1983) and The Lost World (1999)
- Peter Fraser Shearing (b. 1938), English former professional footballer who made 245 appearances in the Football League from 1960 to 1973
- Rebecca Shearing, Scottish contemporary pop singer
- Mr. Shearing, British sailor who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales and survived the sinking
Historic Events for the Shearing family +
- Mr. Shearing, British sailor, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 6
The Shearing 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: Vincit Veritas
Motto Translation: Truth conquers.
Citations +
- 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)
- Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Buckinghamshire.htm
- HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html