Show ContentsSheen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The spelling and overall form of Irish names tend to vary widely. The original Gaelic form of the name Sheen is Ó Siodhachain, which may be derived from "siodhach," which means "peaceful."

Early Origins of the Sheen family

The surname Sheen was first found in County Limerick (Irish: Luimneach) located in Southwestern Ireland, in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Sheen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sheen research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sheen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sheen Spelling Variations

The scribes and church officials of the Middle Ages who recorded names in official documents spelled the names as they sounded. This led to the problem of one name being recorded under several different variations and thus resembling more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Sheen that are preserved in archival documents of this era include Sheehan, Sheeham, Sheahan, O'Sheehan, Sheagan and many more.

Early Notables of the Sheen family

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

Sheen Ranking

In the United States, the name Sheen is the 16,729th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


Sheen migration to the United States +

Irish emigration to North America began modestly in the late 18th century. At this time, Irish families made the journey to British North America and the United States by choice and after careful consideration: they were primarily in search of a suitably large stretch of land to call their own. This pattern would change most dramatically during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. For example, the years 1825-1845 saw approximately 450,000 heading to British North America and 400,000 to the United States, but in 1847, at the height of the famine, it is estimated that more than 104,000 Irish immigrants went to British North America and more than 119,000 to the United States. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Sheen:

Sheen Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Ellen Sheen, who landed in Virginia in 1650 2
Sheen Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Casper Sheen, aged 38, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1753 2
Sheen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jeremiah H Sheen, aged 25, who arrived in Mobile County, Ala in 1843 2
  • Timothy Sheen, who arrived in Tippecanoe County, Ind in 1845 2
  • Margaret Sheen, aged 27, who landed in New York in 1849 2
  • Patrick Sheen, aged 13, who landed in New York in 1854 2
  • Thomas Sheen, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sheen migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sheen Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • John Sheen, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749

Sheen migration to Australia +

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

Sheen Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • William Sheen, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on September 3rd, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 3
  • Richard Sheen, English convict from Gloucester, who was transported aboard the "Adamant" on March 16, 1821, settling in New South Wales, Australia 4
  • Mr. William Sheen, British convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Competitor"18th March 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
  • Miss Mary Ann Sheen, (b. 1803), aged 27, English needle woman who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for robbery, transported aboard the "Earl of Liverpool" in December 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • Mr. John Sheen, British convict who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "Asia" on 29th September 1831, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sheen 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:

Sheen Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • James Sheen, aged 30, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Shamrock" in 1855
  • Mr. Ellen Sheen, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sebastian" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 7th October 1859 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Sheen (post 1700) +

  • Martin Sheen (b. 1940), born Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez, an American actor, known for his roles in The Subject Was Roses (1968), Badlands (1973), and Apocalypse Now (1979), father of Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez
  • Mickey Sheen (1927-1987), born Milton Scheinblum, American jazz drummer from Brooklyn, New York City
  • Bobby Sheen (1941-2000), American rhythm and blues singer from St. Louis, Missouri
  • Charlie Sheen (b. 1965), born Carlos Irwin Estévez, American actor, known for his roles in Platoon (1986), Wall Street (1987), Young Guns (1988), Eight Men Out (1988), Major League (1989), Hot Shots! (1991), and The Three Musketeers (1993) and for his starring role in Two and a Half Men, son of Martin Sheen
  • Fulton Sheen (1895-1979), American Catholic archbishop, television evangelist, sainthood candidate
  • Albert Sheen, American politician, Member of Virgin Islands legislature, 1973-74 9
  • Michael Christopher Sheen OBE (b. 1969), Welsh actor and producer, appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2009, he handed the medal back it was revealed in an interview in 2020
  • Everett Sheen (b. 1986), Canadian former professional ice hockey player
  • Caroline Sheen (b. 1976), Welsh actress
  • Sir Barry Sheen (1918-2005), British jurist, Admiralty Judge of the High Court from 1978 to 1993
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Joseph Sheen, British Petty Officer, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 10


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1820 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1820
  4. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Adamant voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1821 with 144 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adamant/1821
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/competitor
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-of-liverpool
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1831
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  10. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html


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