The Shanahan surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,616 people carried this name — #4,119 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 34,200 people counted. That is up 5% from 8,228 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Shanahan surname

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Seanacháin.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Shanahan» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 65 births for the Shanahan name in 1890.

Most were registered in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 2,900 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 2 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, Limerick, and Waterford.”

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 58
Leinster 4
Ulster 3

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 129 people named Shanahan live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 71
Santa Fe 21
City of Buenos Aires 16
Chubut 11
Río Negro 10

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In print

Shanahan in American newspapers,
1900–1930.

Newspaper page from The Morning News carrying the name Shanahan
The Morning News 1900-02-11
Newspaper page from The Mankato Free Press carrying the name Shanahan
The Mankato Free Press 1914-08-21
Newspaper page from The Sauk Centre Herald carrying the name Shanahan
The Sauk Centre Herald 1930-10-09

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 35,277 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Shanahan in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2010s.

30,640 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Shanahan. The most, 6,057, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 9,835
New South Wales 7,670
Queensland 6,368
South Australia 3,506
Western Australia 2,372
Tasmania 607
ACT (Canberra) 153
Northern Territory 79

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Shanahan.

Who carried it

People named Shanahan,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Patrick Shanahan
    Patrick Shanahan 1867–1937 · military personnel
  • Michael Shanahan
    Michael Shanahan 1870–1964 · carpenter
  • Jennie Shanahan
    Jennie Shanahan 1897–1936
  • Jim Shanahan
    Jim Shanahan 1901–1985 · police officer
  • Foss Shanahan
    Foss Shanahan 1910–1964 · diplomat

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 106 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Shanahan,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,354 records

2,354 records of the Shanahan name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 810
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 680
  • Other U.S. records 864
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Raymond A. Shanahan

    Born 1914 in Illinois. Enlisted 1942 at Chicago; cook from Cook County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1965, buried at Wood National Cemetery, Wisconsin.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Kate Shanahan

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 21; servant. From Castleisland, Ireland; bound for Boston.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record May Ivy Shanahan

    U.S. Army veteran of World War I. Born 1888, died 1958; buried at Bay Pines National Cemetery, Florida.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 2,354 records for Shanahan in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia1,109 records

1,109 records of the Shanahan name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 427
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 314
  • Other Australian records 368
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Denis Shanahan

    Died 1906 in Charles Street, Launceston, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1906.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Veronica Mary Shanahan

    Born 1903 in New℗¿Norfolk, Tasmania. Died 1937 in Tasmania, aged 33.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record James Shanahan

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Mangles, arriving 1822; certificate of freedom 1829.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 1,109 records for Shanahan in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada106 records

106 records of the Shanahan name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 93
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 5
  • Other Canadian records 8
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record James Shanahan

    Killed in 1882 at the Little Glace Bay Mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Cecelia Maureen Shanahan

    Buried in 1999 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 34.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record John Donald Shanahan

    Died in service in 1944.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 106 records for Shanahan in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

New Zealand17 records

17 records of the Shanahan name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 16
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Aylene Shanahan

    Died 1995, aged 67; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record T. Shanahan

    New Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Patrick Shanahan

    Died 1937, aged 86; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 17 records for Shanahan in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Shanahan name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record P. Shanahan

    Devonshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record D. Shanahan

    Machine Gun Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Shanahan name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Agnes Josephine Patricia Shanahan

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage; born 1892 in Limerick.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Anij Shanahan

    In the population register of Venray; born 1865 in Veerrij, Ireland.

    Open Archives, Gemeente Venray, gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Shanahan.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Shanahan is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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