Shend History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Shend

What does the name Shend mean?

All Irish surnames have a unique and often romantic meaning. The name Shend originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Seain, which translates as son of John.

Early Origins of the Shend family

The surname Shend was first found in County Kerry (Irish:Ciarraí) part of the former County Desmond (14th-17th centuries), located in Southwestern Ireland, in Munster province, where they were granted lands by Strongbow when he invaded Ireland in 1172.

Early History of the Shend family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shend research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1750 is included under the topic Early Shend History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shend Spelling Variations

The search for the origins of the name Shend family name revealed numerous spelling variations. These variants can be somewhat accounted for when it is realized that before widespread literacy people only recognized their name by pronunciation; it was up to scribes to decide how it was to be formally recorded. Variations found include McShane, McShain, McShaen, MacShane, MacShain, MacShaen, MacCheyne, McCheyne, McSheyne, MacSheyne, McCheine, McChain, MacCheine, MacChain, McChein, McShaney, McShanie and many more.

Early Notables of the Shend family

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

Migration of the Shend family

Ireland saw an enormous decrease in its population in the 19th century due to immigration and death. This pattern of immigration began slowly in the late 18th century and gradually grew throughout the early portion of the 19th century. However, a dramatic increase in the country's immigration numbers occurred when the Great Potato Famine struck in the 1840s. The early immigrants to North America were primarily destined to be farmers tending to their own plot of land, those that came later initially settled within pre-established urban centers. These urban immigrants provided the cheap labor that the fast developing United States and soon to be Canada required. Regardless of their new lifestyle in North America, the Irish immigrants to the United States and Canada made invaluable contributions to their newly adopted societies. An investigation of immigrant and passenger lists revealed many Shends: John and Joseph McShain settled in Philadelphia in 1860.