O'Sherrent History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The surname O'Sherrent is derived from Mac Searthuin, which means son of Searthun. The personal name Searthun is equivalent to Geoffrey.

Early Origins of the O'Sherrent family

The surname O'Sherrent was first found in County Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel, where they held a family seat, some say before the Anglo Norman invasion of Ireland by Strongbow in 1172. However, others claim that it is an offshoot of the Prendergast Clan in County Mayo, where they adopted the Gaelic name of O'Sirin, and established themselves on the Donegal/Fermanagh border about the year 1250.

Early History of the O'Sherrent family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Sherrent research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1659 and 1673 are included under the topic Early O'Sherrent History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Sherrent Spelling Variations

During the lifetime of an individual person, his name was often spelt by church officials and medieval scribes the way it sounded. An examination of the many different origins of each name has revealed many spelling variations for the name: Shearing, Sheering, Sheeran, Sharron, Sherren, Sherran, Shirran, Sheeran, Sheerin, O'Shearing, O'Sheering, O'Sheeran, O'Sharron, O'Sherren, O'Sherran, O'Shirran, O'Sheeran, O'Shearing and many more.

Early Notables of the O'Sherrent family

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

Migration of the O'Sherrent family

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 O'Sherrent: Daniel, Edward, Hugh, Patrick and Thomas Sheerin who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1804 and 1864; Edward and John Sheering landed in Philadelphia in 1867.

The O'Sherrent 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: Vincit Veritas
Motto Translation: Truth conquers.