surnames.ie

Irish surname · 80th most common in 1911

Sheehan

Also spelt Sheahan

Sheehan, also spelt Sheahan, is from the Irish Ó Síodhacháin, 'descendant of Síodhachán', a name built on síodhach, 'peaceful'. It belonged to a Dalcassian family that spread through Munster, especially Cork, Kerry and Limerick, and to a separate Galway family under the O'Kellys of Uí Maine.

Irish Ó Síodhacháin · Ó SíocháinIrish Ó SéadhacháinIrish Ó Sídheacháin, Ó Síothcháin
1901 census
8,206
#78 · 19 per 10,000
1911 census
7,871
#80 · 18 per 10,000
1926 census
7,779
#63 · 26 per 10,000
Most numerous
Cork
Highest share: Kerry

Language & meaning

Meaning & Irish forms

Gaelic Gaelic Irish: a patronymic surname of two families, a Dalcassian one of Thomond that spread across Munster and an unrelated one in Galway.[1][2]

Ó Síodhacháin
Modern spelling: Ó Síocháin
“descendant of Síodhachán”[1][3]
Woulfe's headword. The modern spelling Ó Síocháin was used by the writer P. A. Ó Síocháin, son of the MP D. D. Sheehan.
Ó Séadhacháin
A common variant, which Woulfe gives as the source of spellings such as Sheahan, Shahan and Shane.
Ó Sídheacháin, Ó Síothcháin
Further variants Woulfe cross-refers to Ó Síodhacháin; he says the name had lately come to be written Ó Síothcháin.

The name is built on the personal name Síodhachán, usually explained as “a diminutive of síodhach, 'peaceful'”. Wikipedia glosses the surname as 'the peaceful one' and links it to síocháin, 'peace'. Who the original Síodhachán was is not recorded.[1][4][2]

Pronunciation

Sheehan: SHEE-un

Place

Where the Sheehans lived

How common the name was in each county, as a share of the population, in the three surviving full censuses of Ireland. Use the buttons to compare years.

Donegal: 0 per 10,000 (0 people) Waterford: 36.3 per 10,000 (299 people) Dublin: 5.7 per 10,000 (272 people) Kilkenny: 8.5 per 10,000 (64 people) Carlow: 12.1 per 10,000 (44 people) Limerick: 90.6 per 10,000 (1,298 people) Louth: 0.2 per 10,000 (1 people) Tipperary: 12.3 per 10,000 (188 people) Roscommon: 1.4 per 10,000 (13 people) Meath: 0 per 10,000 (0 people) Wicklow: 6.4 per 10,000 (39 people) Cavan: 0 per 10,000 (0 people) Cork: 90 per 10,000 (3,538 people) Clare: 18.1 per 10,000 (189 people) Galway: 4.5 per 10,000 (82 people) Mayo: 0.2 per 10,000 (3 people) Sligo: 0.6 per 10,000 (5 people) Leitrim: 0.6 per 10,000 (4 people) Offaly: 6.3 per 10,000 (36 people) Laois: 6.4 per 10,000 (35 people) Kildare: 3.7 per 10,000 (25 people) Kerry: 96.6 per 10,000 (1,544 people) Monaghan: no records Wexford: 14.9 per 10,000 (153 people) Longford: 3 per 10,000 (13 people) Westmeath: 1.3 per 10,000 (8 people) Tyrone: 0 per 10,000 (0 people) Antrim: 0.1 per 10,000 (5 people) Armagh: 0.1 per 10,000 (1 people) Fermanagh: 0 per 10,000 (0 people) Londonderry: 0.6 per 10,000 (9 people) Down: 0.1 per 10,000 (3 people)
fewerup to 100 per 10,000

Share of each county's census population. 1926 covers the 26 counties of the Irish Free State only.

Highest concentration · 1911

Kerry

97 per 10,000

1,544 Sheehans · 5.39× the national share

Highest share, 1911

  1. Kerry 97
  2. Limerick 91
  3. Cork 90
  4. Waterford 36
  5. Clare 18
  6. Wexford 15
  7. Tipperary 12
  8. Carlow 12

Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.

County figures as a table
County190119111926Per 10k 1901Per 10k 1911Per 10k 1926
Antrim195—00—
Armagh01—00—
Carlow524467141220
Cavan104001
Clare220189171201818
Cork3,7083,5383,374939093
Donegal008001
Down23—00—
Dublin244272339667
Fermanagh10—00—
Galway1118265654
Kerry1,5791,5441,384959793
Kildare222529445
Kilkenny706459998
Laois253548469
Leitrim4412112
Limerick1,3371,2981,3939191100
Londonderry149—11—
Longford151323336
Louth016001
Mayo5317001
Meath005001
Offaly343632666
Roscommon21323013
Sligo155011
Tipperary216188202141214
Tyrone10—00—
Waterford330299298383638
Westmeath8813112
Wexford151153167151518
Wicklow343935666

Local strongholds in 1911

District Electoral Divisions (300+ residents) where Sheehans made up the largest share of the population. In Mastergeehy, Co. Kerry, about one resident in 11 was a Sheehan.

DEDCountySheehansShare
MastergeehyKerry38 9.5%
GlanmoreKerry74 9.4%
CarrignavarCork63 7.4%
DerrianaKerry52 7.3%
CleanglassLimerick34 6.9%
GoleenCork47 6.6%
TahillaKerry49 6.2%
ClonmeenCork21 5.9%

Origins

Septs & territories

Many Irish surnames were adopted independently by unrelated families. These are the distinct Sheehan lineages described in the sources.

A surname can point you towards a place. On its own, it cannot establish a pedigree.

Ó Síodhacháin of the Dál gCais

Thomond, later throughout Munster · Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick

Woulfe describes a Dalcassian family that had become very numerous throughout Munster, above all in Cork, Kerry and Limerick. Wikipedia places their traditional home in Co. Clare and says they played only a small political role, as vassals of the O'Briens, kings of Thomond.[1][2]

Ó Síodhacháin of Uí Maine

Uí Maine (Hy Many) · Galway

An older Galway family, followers of O'Kelly of Uí Maine, whom Woulfe found still numerous in that county. Wikipedia reports the historian C. Thomas Cairney's view that the O'Sheehans were a chiefly family of the Uí Maine.[1][2]

The name over time

History

A peaceful name

Sheehan is the English form of Ó Síodhacháin, 'descendant of Síodhachán'. Woulfe explains the personal name as a diminutive of síodhach, meaning 'peaceful', and Wikipedia similarly renders the surname as 'the peaceful one', linking it to síocháin, the Irish word for peace. The identity of the first Síodhachán is not known, and Woulfe makes clear that two separate families bore the surname, one in Munster and one in Galway, so not all Sheehans share a common ancestor.[1][4][2]

Dalcassians of Thomond

The larger family belonged to the Dál gCais, the group of Thomond families headed by the O'Briens. Wikipedia places the O'Sheehans' traditional home in Co. Clare and describes them as vassals of the O'Briens, who became kings of Thomond and counted Brian Boru among their ancestors, rather than as a power in their own right. By Woulfe's day the family had spread widely through Munster and was especially numerous in Cork, Kerry and Limerick, the counties where Wikipedia says Sheehan is still most common.[2][1][4]

The Galway Sheehans

A second, old-established family of the name lived in Co. Galway as followers of O'Kelly, lord of Uí Maine. Woulfe found them still numerous in the county. Wikipedia quotes the historian C. Thomas Cairney as making the O'Sheehans a chiefly family of the Uí Maine, which seems to refer to this branch rather than the Dalcassians, though the article does not distinguish them.[1][2]

Many spellings

Because the Irish name was written in several ways, its English forms vary too. Woulfe records Ó Síodhacháin as the main form, with Ó Sídheacháin and Ó Séadhacháin as variants and Ó Síothcháin as a later spelling. From these came O'Sheehan, Sheehan, Sheahan, Sheean, Sheen, Shean and, from Ó Séadhacháin in particular, Shahan and Shane. The modern Irish spelling Ó Síocháin was adopted by P. A. Ó Síocháin, journalist son of the Mid Cork MP D. D. Sheehan. Wikipedia notes that many Sheehans emigrated to the United States, especially after the Great Famine.[1][5][6][7][3][2]

Everyday lives

The Sheehans in the census

Who the Sheehans were in the 1901 and 1911 censuses (and 1926 where recorded), set against everyone in Ireland in the same census.

Sheehans All of Ireland Ireland's figure marked on the Sheehan bar

Religion, 1911

Catholic +26.1 points vs Ireland
Sheehans 99.7%
All of Ireland 73.6%
Church of Ireland −13.0 points vs Ireland
Sheehans 0.2%
All of Ireland 13.2%
Presbyterian −10.1 points vs Ireland
Sheehans 0.0%
All of Ireland 10.1%
Methodist & other −3.1 points vs Ireland
Sheehans 0.0%
All of Ireland 3.1%

Irish language

Spoke Irish, 1901 +12.6 points vs Ireland
Sheehans 27.9%
All of Ireland 15.3%
Spoke Irish, 1911 +10.8 points vs Ireland
Sheehans 24.3%
All of Ireland 13.5%
Spoke Irish, 1926 · 26 counties +2.9 points vs Ireland
Sheehans 16.4%
All of Ireland 13.5%

73 Sheehans spoke Irish only in 1901.

Reading & writing

Could read and write, 1901 · aged 15+ −0.9 points vs Ireland
Sheehans 79.5%
All of Ireland 80.4%
Could read and write, 1911 · aged 15+ about the same as Ireland
Sheehans 85.7%
All of Ireland 85.8%

Family life, 1911

Household size · 1,571 households about the same as Ireland
Sheehans 4.88
All of Ireland 4.83
Children born per mother · women 45–59 higher than Ireland
Sheehans 6.89
All of Ireland 6.46
Children still living about the same as Ireland
Sheehans 79.9%
All of Ireland 79.8%

Commonest occupations

Adults aged 15+, 1901 and 1911 combined.

Farmer1,235
Farmer's son592
Farmer's daughter362
Agricultural labourer341
General labourer315
Farm servant294
Labourer254
House keeper208
Domestic servant181
Farm labourer156

Born outside Ireland

0.5% of Sheehans in 1911 gave a birthplace outside Ireland.

United States26
England7
Wales5
India3
Australia & NZ1

Median age: 23 in 1901, 24 in 1911.

Given names

First names among the Sheehans

Men and boys

  1. John1,976
  2. Patrick1,400
  3. Michael1,139
  4. James675
  5. Thomas667
  6. Daniel665
  7. William580
  8. Timothy531
  9. Jeremiah463
  10. Denis441

Women and girls

  1. Mary2,206
  2. Margaret854
  3. Ellen845
  4. Bridget815
  5. Kate517
  6. Catherine447
  7. Julia432
  8. Hannah394
  9. Nora292
  10. Annie267

All three censuses combined. Top five in 1926: John, Patrick, Michael, James, Thomas; Mary, Margaret, Bridget, Ellen, Kate.

Spellings

Spellings

This page combines the spellings below, which census enumerators and families used for the same name.

Spelling190119111926Records
Sheehan6,8736,6827,060Search
Sheahan1,3331,189719Search

Related forms

  • Sheahan — Woulfe lists it as an English form of both Ó Síodhacháin and its variant Ó Séadhacháin.[1][5]
  • O'Sheehan, O'Sheahan — Forms keeping the Ó prefix.[1]
  • Sheean, Sheen, Shean — Shortened English spellings of the same name.[1]
  • Shahan, Shane — Spellings Woulfe gives for the variant Ó Séadhacháin.[5]
  • Ó Síocháin — The modern Irish spelling, used by P. A. Ó Síocháin.[3]

Diaspora

The Sheehans abroad

Emigration carried the name worldwide. In the 2010 United States census:

SpellingPeopleUS rank
Sheehan26,9021305th
Sheahan2,72611537th

Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 surname file (public domain).

Heraldry

Is there a Sheehan coat of arms?

Arms were granted to particular families, so there is no single Sheehan crest. Burke records arms for the sept of O'Sheehan ('O'Shiohan'): on blue, a silver dove standing on a green mount and holding an olive branch in its beak, with a similar dove as the crest. The dove and olive branch suit a name meaning 'peaceful'. Burke gives no motto for the family.[8]

Websites selling a single “Sheehan family crest” are selling a design, not an inheritance. Arms in Ireland belonged to individuals and their heirs, and the Chief Herald of Ireland still grants arms that way today.

People

Notable people named Sheehan

  • Patrick Augustine Sheehan (Canon Sheehan) (1852–1913)
    Catholic priest and novelist, known as Canon Sheehan of Doneraile.
  • D. D. Sheehan (1873–1948)
    Nationalist MP for Mid Cork, labour leader, journalist and barrister.
  • Winfield Sheehan (1883–1945)
    Film executive behind much of Fox Film Corporation's output in the 1920s and 1930s.
  • Harold Leeming Sheehan (1900–1988)
    British pathologist after whom Sheehan's syndrome is named.
  • P. A. Ó Síocháin (1905–1995)
    Kanturk-born journalist, lawyer and Irish-language activist, son of D. D. Sheehan.
  • John C. Sheehan (1915–1992)
    American chemist who found the first practical way to synthesise penicillin.
  • Neil Sheehan (1936–2021)
    American journalist who obtained the Pentagon Papers for The New York Times in 1971.
  • Billy Sheehan (born 1953)
    American bass guitarist with Mr. Big, David Lee Roth and The Winery Dogs.
  • Patty Sheehan (born 1956)
    American golfer who won six major championships on the LPGA Tour.
  • Mark Sheehan (1976–2023)
    Irish guitarist, a founder member of The Script.
  • Robert Sheehan (born 1988)
    Irish actor known for Misfits, Love/Hate and The Umbrella Academy.
  • Dan Sheehan (born 1998)
    Leinster and Ireland rugby union hooker.

Questions

Questions about the Sheehan name

Is Sheehan an Irish surname?

Yes. Sheehan is the English form of the Gaelic surname Ó Síodhacháin. Woulfe describes two families of the name: a Dalcassian one, connected with the O'Briens of Thomond, that became very numerous across Munster, and a separate Galway family who followed the O'Kellys of Uí Maine.[1][2]

What is Sheehan in Irish?

The traditional form is Ó Síodhacháin, with variants Ó Séadhacháin and Ó Sídheacháin and a later spelling Ó Síothcháin. In modern spelling it is Ó Síocháin, the form used by P. A. Ó Síocháin, whose father was the MP D. D. Sheehan.[1][5][6][7][3]

What does the name Sheehan mean?

It means 'descendant of Síodhachán'. Woulfe explains Síodhachán as a diminutive of síodhach, 'peaceful', and Wikipedia gives the meaning of the surname as 'the peaceful one', linking it to síocháin, 'peace'. Nothing is recorded about the man the family was named after.[1][4][2]

Are Sheehan and Sheahan the same name?

Yes. Both spellings come from the same Irish surname. Woulfe lists Sheahan as an English form of Ó Síodhacháin and also of its common variant Ó Séadhacháin, alongside Sheehan, Sheean, Shean and other spellings.[1][5]

Where does the Sheehan name come from?

The main Sheehan family belonged to the Dál gCais of Thomond and has its traditional home in Co. Clare according to Wikipedia. By Woulfe's time it was common throughout Munster, especially in Cork, Kerry and Limerick. A smaller, separate family of the name belonged to Co. Galway, where they were followers of the O'Kellys.[2][1]

Is there a Sheehan family crest or coat of arms?

There is no crest for everyone named Sheehan. Burke records arms for the sept of O'Sheehan showing a silver dove holding an olive branch, standing on a green mount on a blue field, with a dove and olive branch again as the crest. He records no motto. Arms like these belonged to a particular family line.[8]

Where in Ireland is the Sheehan surname most common?

In the 1911 census the largest numbers of Sheehans lived in Cork (3,538), Kerry (1,544), Limerick (1,298). Relative to population, the name was most concentrated in Kerry (97 per 10,000), Limerick (91 per 10,000), Cork (90 per 10,000).

How common was the Sheehan surname in Ireland?

7,871 people were recorded as Sheehan or Sheahan in the 1911 census of Ireland, making it the 80th most common surname. That is roughly 0.2% of the population, or 1 person in 559.

Looking for a Sheehan ancestor?

Search every Sheehan household in the 1901, 1911 and 1926 censuses, with free images of the original forms.

Search records on irishcensus.com

Evidence

Sources

  1. Patrick Woulfe, Ó Síodhacháin, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
  2. Wikipedia, O'Sheehan (2026)
  3. Wikipedia, P. A. Ó Síocháin (2026)
  4. Wikipedia, Sheehan (2026)
  5. Patrick Woulfe, Ó Séadhacháin, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
  6. Patrick Woulfe, Ó Sídheacháin, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
  7. Patrick Woulfe, Ó Síothcháin, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
  8. Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales (1884). Entry 'O'Sheehan (the Sept of O'Shiohan)'.
  9. Census of Ireland 1901 and 1911, and Census of Population 1926, National Archives of Ireland. Counts compiled by surnames.ie from the irishcensus.com transcription (dataset 20260831130351). 1926 data © National Archives of Ireland, CC BY 4.0.
  10. Irish forms cross-checked against Gaois surname data (Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge, DCU).

How we compile these figures: methodology.