Shivers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Shivers is an ancient Scottish name that was first used by the Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. It is a name for someone who lived in the old barony in the parish of Tarves, Aberdeenshire. The name Shivers comes from Gaelic seamhas, meaning "a narrow place in a river."
Early Origins of the Shivers family
The surname Shivers was first found in Tarves, Aberdeenshire. Some of the earliest records of the family include: John Chivas, who had a safe conduct to study at Oxford in 1393, and William Shivas, who was a Physician and Astrologer, Archbishop of St. Andrews in 1477. Later, John Scheves was forgiven on a charge of murder in 1526. 1
William Schevez or Schives (died 1497) was "Archbishop of St. Andrews, is supposed to have descended from a family that adopted the name from the estate of Schevez in Aberdeenshire. One John de Schevez was clerk to James I in 1426, and may have been the patron through whose influence William Schevez was introduced to the court." 2
Early History of the Shivers family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shivers research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1647, 1648, 1759, 1801, 1843 and 1850 are included under the topic Early Shivers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Shivers Spelling Variations
In Medieval times, spelling and translation were not nearly so highly developed as today. They were generally carried out according to the sound and intuition of the bearer. For that reason spelling variations are extremely common among early Scottish names. Shivers has been spelled Shivas, Shives, Chivas, Shivis, Shivez, Shivers, Shevas and many more.
Early Notables of the Shivers family
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Shivers Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Shivers Ranking
In the United States, the name Shivers is the 4,710th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 3
Migration of the Shivers family to Ireland
Some of the Shivers family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Shivers migration to the United States +
Unrest, poverty, and persecution caused thousands to look for opportunity and freedom in the North American colonies. The crossing was long, overcrowded, and unsanitary, though, and came only at great expense. Many Strathclyde families settled on the east coast of North America in communities that would form the backbone of what would become the great nations of the United States and Canada. The American War of Independence caused those who remained loyal to England to move north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In the 20th century, Strathclyde and other Scottish families across North America began to recover their collective heritage through highland games and Clan societies. Among them:
Shivers Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Thomas Shivers, who arrived in Maryland in 1663 4
Shivers Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- James and Henry Shivers, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1847
- J. M. Shivers, who arrived at San Francisco in 1850
- J M Shivers, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 4
Contemporary Notables of the name Shivers (post 1700) +
- John Shivers (b. 1830), Canadian-born, U.S. Marine stationed aboard the USS Minnesota during the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865
- John Shivers, American former politician, Member of the Ohio House of Representatives (1983-1990)
- Louise Shivers (1929-2014), American author and writer-in-residence at Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia
- Roy Shivers (b. 1941), American-born, General Manager of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League
- Joseph Clois Shivers Jr. (1920-2014), American textile chemist, best known for his role in developing Spandex, in the 1950s, while employed at DuPont
- Robert Allan Shivers (1907-1985), American politician, 37th Governor of the state of Texas (1949-1957)
- Jason Shivers (b. 1982), American defensive back in the Canadian Football League
- Chris Shivers (b. 1978), top-rated American bull rider
- Wesley Davis Shivers (b. 1977), American professional mixed martial arts
- LeVert Dwyer Shivers, American politician, Independent Candidate for U.S. Senator from Georgia, 1942 5
- ... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
The Shivers 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: Virtute non vi
Motto Translation: By virtue not by force.
Citations +
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- "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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html