Sheedy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Sheedy surname is an Anglicized form, or in some cases a translation of the Gaelic Ó Síoda, where "síoda," means "silk."
Early Origins of the Sheedy family
The surname Sheedy was first found in Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat as Lords and Chiefs in Clann Coilein in western Clare in the territory of the MacNamaras known as the MacNamara Fionn, and from whom they were descended. After the Norman Conquest of Ireland in 1172, many Irish clann and sept names were intermixed and family groupings became almost indistinguishable. This family name was found later after the Cromwellian Invasion in Cork, Tipperary, Limerick, but few were to be found in the Clann Coilein.
Early History of the Sheedy family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sheedy research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sheedy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Sheedy Spelling Variations
Official documents, crafted by early scribes and church officials, primarily contained names that were spelled according to their pronunciation. This lead to the problem of one name being recorded under several different variations, creating an illusion that a single person was many people. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Sheedy that are preserved in the archival documents of the time are Sheedy, McSheedy, O'Sheedy, Sheady, Silk, Silke and many more.
Early Notables of the Sheedy family
More information is included under the topic Early Sheedy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Sheedy Ranking
In the United States, the name Sheedy is the 14,182nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1
Sheedy migration to the United States +
The 18th and 19th centuries saw many Irish families immigrate to North America in search of land and opportunities. The largest influx of Irish immigrants to the United States and British North America came during the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine laid waste to their homeland. Hundreds of thousands left the island in an attempt to escape the starvation and disease it brought. Although the arrival of such a large number of destitute Irish was not welcomed by the established population in the United States and what would become known as Canada at the time, these Irish were an essential element to the rapid development of these growing industrial nations. They filled the demand for the cheap labor needed for the work in factories and in the construction of bridges, roads, canals, and railways. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many immigrants bearing the name of Sheedy or one of its variants:
Sheedy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Margaret Sheedy, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1772
Sheedy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- John Sheedy, who settled in Delaware in 1812
- John Sheedy, aged 55, who landed in Delaware in 1812 2
- Dennis Sheedy, who settled in New York in 1852
- William Sheedy, who arrived in Mississippi in 1854 2
- Bridget Sheedy, who settled in Vermont in 1875
Sheedy migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Sheedy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Mr. John Sheedy, aged 14 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Ann" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in June 1847 3
Sheedy migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Sheedy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. John Sheedy, (b. 1807), aged 25, Irish farmer who was convicted in Galway, Ireland for life for being a rebel, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 10th May 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
- Mr. John Sheedy who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
- Mr. Timothy Sheedy, (b. 1792), aged 53, Irish tailor who was convicted in Limerick, Ireland for 10 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Elizabeth and Henry" on 15th February 1845, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land)he had 4 children on board with him, he died in 1871 6
- Mary Sheedy, aged 23, a dairy maid, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Emerald Isle" 7
- Patrick Sheedy, aged 26, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "William Hammond" 8
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Sheedy 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:
Sheedy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Daniel Sheedy, aged 20, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dunedin" in 1875 9
Contemporary Notables of the name Sheedy (post 1700) +
- Alexandra Elizabeth "Ally" Sheedy (b. 1962), American screen and stage actress
- John Cameron Sheedy (1926-2023), Australian rules footballer and coach who played for East Fremantle and East Perth in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL) and South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL)
- Kevin Sheedy (b. 1959), Welsh professional soccer player
- Jack Sheedy (b. 1926), Australian rules footballer in West Australian National Football League (WANFL)
- Jack Sheedy, former Dublin senior football player
Historic Events for the Sheedy family +
- Mr. Patrick Sheedy, English 3rd Class passenger from England, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered 10
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)
- Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 55)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth-and-henry
- South Australian Register Tuesday 17th January 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Emerald Isle 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/emeraldisle1854.shtml
- South Australian Register Wednesday 20th January 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Willaim Hammond 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/williamhammond1854.shtml
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 9th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/