Contents [hide]

Shield History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Shield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

This name was anglicized from Ó Siadhail in Gaelic, meaning an 'ancestor of Siadhail' (the prefix Ó denotes 'grandfather of'). Siadhail has been translated to mean 'sloth' or 'sluggishness'. As this name is descriptive of its original bearer, it is considered to be a nickname. However, many Irish of this name originally came from England or Scotland where the name Shields is derived from an Old English word meaning 'shed' or 'hut' - a somewhat more flattering meaning.

Early Origins of the Shield family

The surname Shield was first found in the Ulster region counties of Donegal, Derry, Antrim and Down. This family are reputed to be descendents of the great King Niall of the Nine Hostages.

Early History of the Shield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shield research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1545, 1548, 1677, 1693, 1698, 1745, 1800, 1879, 1886 and 1949 are included under the topic Early Shield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shield Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Shiel, Sheilles, Sheild, Sheill, Sheels, Sheils, Sheil, Shield, Shields, Shieles, Shiels, Shiells, Shielles, Shiell, Sheills, Sheilds and many more.

Early Notables of the Shield family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

James Shields (1800-1879), who left Tyrone for America, where he went on to be a supreme court judge, a brigadier-general, and a senator for Illinois

Shield Ranking

In the United States, the name Shield is the 17,994^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Shield migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Shield Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Shield, who settled in Virginia in 1638
Walter Shield, who settled in America in 1650
George Shield, who landed in Maryland in 1660 2
William Shield, who arrived in Maryland in 1676 2
Daniel Shield, who arrived in Maryland in 1677 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Shield Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jahan Nickell Shield, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1739 2
Samuel Shield, who arrived in Virginia in 1775 2

Shield Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Terence Shield, aged 34, who landed in New York in 1812 2
Francis Shield, aged 28, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
William J Shield, who landed in Texas in 1835 2
Henrich Shield, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 2
Henry Shield, 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.)

Shield migration to Australia +

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

Shield Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Elizabeth Shield, aged 22, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Warren Hastings"

Shield 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:

Shield Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Shield, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Evening Star" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 13th April 1863 3
Mr. Shield, American settler travelling from Honolulu aboard the ship "Nevada" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 22nd October 1872 3
Charles Shield, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Crusader" in 1882

Contemporary Notables of the name Shield (post 1700) +

Leroy Bernard Shield (1893-1962), American film score and radio composer, best known for the themes and incidental music he wrote for the classic Hal Roach comedy short films of the 1930s, including the Our Gang and Laurel and Hardy series
Joe Shield (b. 1962), American NFL quarterback for the Green Bay Packers
William B. Shield, American politician, Postmaster at Middletown, Delaware, 1796-99 4
Richard Shield, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Austin, Texas, 1981, 1988 4
Richard Shield, American politician, Industrial Candidate for Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania, 1916 4
James M. Shield, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Tennessee, 1860 4
Mark Shield (b. 1973), former Australian Football referee and national Director of Referees
Jeff Shield (1953-2009), Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s
Ian Noel Ridley Shield MBE (1914-2005), English first-class cricketer and British Army officer
Hugh Shield (1831-1903), English academic, barrister and Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1885
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Shield 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: Omne solum forti patria
Motto Translation: Every land is a native country to a brave man

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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html