Sheney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of Sheney

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

Early Origins of the Sheney family

Early History of the Sheney family

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

Sheney Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, a standardized literary language known by the general population of Ireland was a thing of fiction. When a person's name was recorded by one of the few literate scribes, it was up that particular scribe to decide how to spell an individual's name. So a person could have several spelling variations of his name recorded during a single lifetime. Research into the name Sheney revealed many variations, including McShane, McShain, McShaen, MacShane, MacShain, MacShaen, MacCheyne, McCheyne, McSheyne, MacSheyne, McCheine, McChain, MacCheine, MacChain, McChein, McShaney, McShanie and many more.

Early Notables of the Sheney family

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

Migration of the Sheney 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 Sheneys: John and Joseph McShain settled in Philadelphia in 1860.