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Shanley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Shanley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland-Alt
Ireland

The family name Shanley has an intrinsic connection to the Gaelic culture of Ireland. The original Gaelic form of the name Shanley is Mac Seanlaoich, which is derived from the words "sean," meaning "old," and "laoch," meaning "hero."

Early Origins of the Shanley family

The surname Shanley was first found in Leitrim (Irish: Liatroim) anciently the western half of the kingdom of Breifne, located in Northeastern Ireland, in Leinster province, where they held a family seat in that county, some say, well before the 10th century. This east Connacht sept gathered their name from the Gaelic 'MacSeanlaoich' meaning in the English 'Old hero.".

Early History of the Shanley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shanley research. Another 188 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1473 and 1714 are included under the topic Early Shanley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shanley Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Shanley, Shanly, MacShanley, McShanley, MacShanly and many more.

Early Notables of the Shanley family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Cormac Shanley, resister

Shanley Ranking

In the United States, the name Shanley is the 12,950^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Shanley migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Shanley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Shanley, who settled in Charles Town, South Carolina in 1767

Shanley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James D. Shanley, who settled in Philadelphia in 1819
Daniel Shanley, who was naturalized in South Carolina in 1832
Mr. Edward Shanley, aged 22, Irish labourer who arrived in New York in 1846 aboard the ship "Stephen Whitney"
Catherine Shanley, who settled in Vermont in 1854
Francis Shanley, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1867 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Shanley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Anna E. Shanley, aged 16, who settled in America from Longford, in 1904
Annie Shanley, who immigrated to the United States from Doomord, Ireland, in 1914
Alfred Shanley, aged 17, who landed in America from Sligo, Ireland, in 1920
Agnes Shanley, aged 41, who immigrated to the United States, in 1923

Shanley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Shanley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Shanley, whose death at sea was registered at Grosse Isle, Quebec in 1847
Mr. Joseph Shanley, aged 9 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Virginius" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 3
Ms. Mary Shanley, aged 40 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Covenanter" departing from the port of Cork, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 3
Mr. James Shanley who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Virginius" departing 28th May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 12th August 1847 but he died on board 4
Mr. Michael Shanley, aged 17 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Marchioness of Breadalbane" departing 11th June 1847 from Sligo, Ireland; the ship arrived on 12th August 1847 but he died on board 4

Shanley migration to Australia +

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

Shanley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Andrew Shanley, (b. 1805), aged 22, Irish farmers man who was convicted in Longford, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 19th July 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he was killed in 1839 5
Mr. John Shanley, (b. 1815), aged 21, Irish groom who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Earl Grey" on 27th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
James Shanley, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Adelaide" on August 08, 1849, settling in Van Diemen's Land and Port Phillip, Australia 7
Ellen Shanley, aged 23, a farm servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Grand Trianon"
Eleanor Shanley, aged 18, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Aliquis"

Shanley 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:

Shanley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Walter Shanley, (b. 1841), aged 22, British baker, from Middlesex travelling from London aboard the ship "Metropolis" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 16th June 1863 8
Bridget Ann Shanley, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Andrew Jackson" in 1865

Contemporary Notables of the name Shanley (post 1700) +

Mai Shanley (b. 1963), American beauty queen and pageant holder, Miss New Mexico USA 1984
John Shanley (1852-1909), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop of Fargo, North Dakota (1889 until his death)
Gib Shanley (1931-2008), American Emmy Award-winning sports anchor/reporter
Bernard Michael Shanley (1903-1992), White House Counsel (1953-1955) and White House Appointments Secretary (1955-1957)
John Patrick Shanley (b. 1950), American playwright and screenwriter awarded the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama (along with a Tony award for best play) and won an Academy Award in 1987
Keelin Shanley (1968-2020), Irish journalist, newsreader and presenter with RTÉ, Ireland's national radio and television station
Thomas J. Shanley, Irish restaurateur who with his 6 brothers founded the very popular Shanley's Restaurants, in Manhattan, New York in 1890; the last restaurant closed in 1925
Eleanor Shanley, Irish folk singer from Keshcarrigan in County Leitrim

The Shanley 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: Pro patria et religione
Motto Translation: For country and religion

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 55)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 95)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-grey
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 17) Adelaide voyage to Van Diemen's Land and Port Phillip, Australia in 1849 with 303 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adelaide/1849
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html