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Kershaw History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Kershaw History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the name Kershaw date back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from their residence in the area of Kirkshaw at Rochdale in the county of Lancashire. Kershaw is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties.

Early Origins of the Kershaw family

The surname Kershaw was first found in Lancashire where it is a local name 'of Kirkshaw,' in the parish of Rochdale. Literally the place name means "church-wood." Some of the earliest records of the name include: Matthew de Kyrkshagh, Lancashire in 1281; Geoffrey del Kyrkeshagh, of Rochdale parish in 1390; and John de Kyrkshagh, or Kershaw, of Townhouses, in Rochdale, 1424. 1

Early History of the Kershaw family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kershaw research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1572, 1617 and 1630 are included under the topic Early Kershaw History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kershaw Spelling Variations

Kershaw has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Kershaw have been found, including Kershaw, Kercher, Kershow, Kirshaw, Kirkshaw and others.

Early Notables of the Kershaw family

Distinguished members of the family include

William Kershaw of Heskin Hall

Kershaw Ranking

In the United States, the name Kershaw is the 7,270^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Kershaw is ranked the 839^th most popular surname with an estimated 8,070 people with that name. 3

Kershaw migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Kershaws to arrive on North American shores:

Kershaw Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ralph Kershaw, who settled in Virginia in 1699

Kershaw Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacob Ludwick Kershaw, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1772 4

Kershaw Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Kershaw, who landed in America in 1806 4
Samuel Kershaw, aged 37, who landed in Maryland in 1812 4
Benjamin Kershaw, who landed in New York in 1837 4
Edmund, Frederick, James, Jesse, John, Lees, Nelson, Napoleon, Robert, Samuel, Thomas and William Kershaw all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1800 and 1870
Joseph Healey Kershaw, who arrived in Arkansas in 1882 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kershaw Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Albert Kershaw, aged 37, who landed in America from Oldham, in 1906
Abraham Kershaw, aged 36, who settled in America from Bury, England, in 1907
Ada Kershaw, aged 20, who immigrated to the United States from Brighouse, England, in 1911
Albert Kershaw, who immigrated to the United States from Liverpool, in 1919
Agnes Kershaw, aged 48, who settled in America from Ashton,England, in 1920
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kershaw migration to Australia +

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

Kershaw Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Kershaw, (b. 1790), aged 20, English convict who was convicted in Kingston Upon Hull, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" in March 1810, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1834 5
Mr. James Kershaw, (b. 1805), aged 22, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1878 6
Mr. Samuel Kershaw who was convicted in Salford, Greater Manchester, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Duchess of Northumberland" on 1st October 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7

Kershaw 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:

Kershaw Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Kershaw, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oliver Lang" in 1858
Alfred Kershaw, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mermaid" in 1859 8
Mr. William Kershaw, (b. 1829), aged 33, British shoemaker travelling from London aboard the ship "Echunga" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 24th December 1862 9
Mrs. Margaret Kershaw, (b. 1832), aged 30, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Echunga" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 24th December 1862 9
Miss Mary H. Kershaw, (b. 1854), aged 8, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Echunga" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 24th December 1862 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Kershaw (post 1700) +

Douglas James "Doug" Kershaw (b. 1936), American fiddle player
Clayton Edward Kershaw (b. 1988), American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher
Sammy Kershaw (b. 1958), American country artist
Elinor Kershaw (1884-1971), American stage and motion picture actress
Joseph Brevard Kershaw (1822-1894), Confederate general in the American Civil War
Thomas A. Kershaw, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1988 10
Leroy Kershaw (1880-1969), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oklahoma, 1924 ; Candidate in primary for Governor of Oklahoma, 1930 10
Joseph Brevard Kershaw (1822-1894), American politician, Delegate to South Carolina secession convention, 1860; Member of South Carolina State Senate, 1865; State Court Judge in South Carolina, 1877-93 10
Joseph Kershaw, American politician, Delegate to New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention from Swanzey, 1956 10
John Kershaw (1765-1829), American Democratic Party politician, State Court Judge in South Carolina, 1791; Member of South Carolina State House of Representatives, 1792; Mayor of Camden, South Carolina, 1798 10
... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Kershaw family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. John Francis Kershaw, British Wireman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 11

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duchess-of-northumberland
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html