Show ContentsO'Shanahan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname O'Shanahan is originally a name that appeared in Gaelic as Ó Seanachain, which is derived from the word "sean," meaning "old."

Early Origins of the O'Shanahan family

The surname O'Shanahan was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the O'Shanahan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Shanahan research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1318, 1802, 1863, 1877, 1916 and 1937 are included under the topic Early O'Shanahan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Shanahan Spelling Variations

Scribes and church officials, lacking today's standardized spelling rules, recorded names by how they were pronounced. This imprecise guide often led to the misleading result of one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname O'Shanahan are preserved in documents of the family history. The various spellings of the name that were found include Shanahan, O'Shanahan, Shahan, Shannon, Gilshenan and many more.

Early Notables of the O'Shanahan family

Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early O'Shanahan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Australia O'Shanahan migration to Australia +

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

O'Shanahan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • James O'Shanahan, aged 26, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Caucasian" 1
  • Johanna O'Shanahan, aged 16, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Caucasian" 1


  1. South Australian Register Tuesday 26 April 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Caucasian 1857. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/caucasian1857.shtml


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