SHAW Surname Meaning and Family History

SHAW Surname Meaning and Family History The Shaw surname means thicket, small wood, or clearing in the trees from the Middle English s(c)hage, s(c)hawe (Old English sceaga). It is also an English or Scottish topographic surname for someone who lived near a copse or thicket. Shaw may also have derived as an English form of any of the Gaelic surnames derived from the personal name Sitheach, meaning wolf, or similar sounding Irish surnames such as OShea or Shee. Surname Origin: English,  Scottish Alternate Surname Spellings:  SHEACH Famous People with the SHAW  Surname George Bernard Shaw – Irish author and playwrightArtie Shaw  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  American songwriter, best known as a 1930s and 1940s jazz bandleader and clarinetistSam Shaw  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  American photographer; best known for his iconic images of stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Marlon BrandoAnna Howard Shaw  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Born in England,  Anna Howard Shaw was the first female minister in the Methodist Protestant Church and very active in womens suffrage.Robert Shaw –  American conductor Where Is the SHAW  Surname Most Common? The Shaw surname, according to surname distribution information from Forebears, is the 820th most common surname in the world. It is most prevalent today in India, but is used by the greatest percentage of the population in countries such as England (ranked 63rd), New Zealand (62nd), Scotland (91st), and Australia (93rd). WorldNames PublicProfiler indicates the Shaw surname is especially common in the United Kingdom, found most frequently in the northern England regions of North West, East Midlands and Yorkshire and Humberside. It is also fairly common in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Within North America, individuals named Shaw are found most commonly in Maine and Nova Scotia.   Genealogy Resources for the Surname SHAW Shaw Surname DNA Project: Over 300 members have joined this Y-DNA project to work together to use DNA testing along with traditional genealogy research to help determine Shaw origins and distinguish between various Shaw lines.SHAW  Family Genealogy Forum: This free message board is focused on descendants of Shaw  ancestors around the world. Search the forum for posts about your Shaw ancestors, or join the forum and post your own queries.  FamilySearch - SHAW Genealogy: Explore over 4.4 million  results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Shaw surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.GeneaNet - Shaw Records: GeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Shaw  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. Resources and Further Reading Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.