Kirshaw History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Kirshaw

What does the name Kirshaw mean?

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Kirshaw come from when the family resided in the area of Kirkshaw at Rochdale in the county of Lancashire. Kirshaw 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 Kirshaw family

The surname Kirshaw 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 Kirshaw family

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

Kirshaw Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Kirshaw has been recorded under many different variations, including Kershaw, Kercher, Kershow, Kirshaw, Kirkshaw and others.

Early Notables of the Kirshaw family

More information is included under the topic Early Kirshaw Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kirshaw migration to Canada +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Kirshaw or a variant listed above:

Kirshaw Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Robert Kirshaw, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749

Kirshaw migration to Australia +

Kirshaw Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Cooper Kirshaw, English convict who was convicted in Lancashire, England for life, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 2

Sources +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring