Sherlock History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  Ireland 


When the Strongbownian's arrived in Ireland there was already a system for creating patronymic names in place. Therefore, the native population regarded many of the Anglo-Norman naming practices that these settlers were accustomed to as rather unusual. Despite their differences, the two different systems eventually merged together rather insidiously. The Strongbownians, when they arrived, displayed a preference for used nickname surnames. Two of the most prevalent forms were oath nicknames and imperative names. Oath names often carried blessings or were formed from habitual expressions. Imperative names, formed from a verb added to a noun or an adverb, metaphorically described the bearer's occupations. The nick name surname Sherlock is derived from a nickname for a short-haired person. However, at least one expert holds the alternative theory that the surname Sherlock denotes a fair-haired person. According to this theory, the name is derived from the words "scir," which means "bright," and "locc," which means "hair." The Gaelic form of the name Sherlock is Scurlóg.

Early Origins of the Sherlock family

The surname Sherlock was first found in Cheshire, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Sherlock family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sherlock research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1595, 1612, 1641, 1646, 1678, 1689, 1691, 1707 and 1761 are included under the topic Early Sherlock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sherlock Spelling Variations

It was found during an investigation of the origins of the name Sherlock that church officials and medieval scribes often spelled the name as it sounded. This practice lead to a single person's being documented under many spelling variations. The name Sherlock has existed in the various shapes: Sherlock, Scurlock, Scurlog, Shylock, Shyrlock, Sherlocke, Cherlock, Sharlock, Sharloch, Sherloch, Shyrloch, Charlock, Charloch, Sharlocke, Sharloche and many more.

Early Notables of the Sherlock family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was

Sherlock Ranking

In the United States, the name Sherlock is the 7,299th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1


Sherlock 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 Sherlock:

Sherlock Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Sherlock Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Sherlock migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sherlock Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Sherlock Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
Sherlock Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Sherlock migration to Australia +

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

Sherlock Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Sherlock 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:

Sherlock Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Sherlock migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 8
Sherlock Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Sherlock (post 1700) +
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