The
Anglo-Saxons of Britain first developed the name Shairhan. It was a name given to someone who was a person who worked as a
sheep-shearer deriving from the middle English word "sheareman," which meant "shearer." Alternately, and especially in
Norfolk, the name was derived from "shireman," that is, a person born outside the county.
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.Early Origins of the Shairhan family
The surname Shairhan was first found in various counties and shires throughout ancient Britain. In fact, "in [the]
Domesday Book the Judge of the County-court was called a Seirman, i.e., Shireman. The Anglo Saxon scirmann is defined by Bosworth as 'a man who superintends, shireman, provincial, an overseer, governor, provost, bailiff of a hundred.' "
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print. The earliest record of the name that we could find was Roger Sereman who was listed in 1207 in
Leicestershire. A few years later William le Shereman was listed in 1281 and the
Subsidy Rolls of
Suffolk list John Sherman in 1327. In the same year, the
Subsidy Rolls of
Essex listed Philip Shareman (Sharman.)
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Early History of the Shairhan family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shairhan research.
Another 159 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1611 and 1687 are included under the topic Early Shairhan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Shairhan Spelling Variations
Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few
hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Shairhan have been found, including Sherman, Shearman, Sharman, Shaerman, Shirman and others.
Early Notables of the Shairhan family (pre 1700)
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Shairhan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Shairhan family to Ireland
Some of the Shairhan family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Shairhan family to the New World and Oceana
Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in
England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in
England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Among the first immigrants of the name Shairhan, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were: John Sherman, who settled in Boston in 1634; Phillip, Edmund, Thomas; and William Sherman all settled in Virginia in 1652; Thomas Sherman settled in Barbados in 1634.