The Sheridan surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 22,177 people carried this name — #1,623 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 13,300 people counted. That is up 2% from 21,668 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Sheridan surname

As a surname, from Irish Ó Sirideáin.

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

As a surname in the United Kingdom

Harrison classes it as a Celtic name: ‘Satyr, Wild Man’.

From the Irish Seireadan, Siridean, a nickname.

From Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. II (London: The Morland Press, 1918), p. 154 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 145 births for the Sheridan name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 6,400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 10 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 52
Ulster 45
Connacht 37
Munster 11

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 168 people named Sheridan 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.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 74
Corrientes 50
City of Buenos Aires 22
Santa Fe 22

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

In Switzerland’s population statistics

20 people named Sheridan live in Switzerland.

They live in 4 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

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

Where they live today

Zurich 7
Geneva 5
Solothurn 5
Thurgau 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In the Nordic population registers

26 people named Sheridan is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 26

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In Scotland’s registers today

Sheridan was recorded 25 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 962nd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 40. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

In 1790, Sheridan was counted together with Sheredine: 20 families in all.

Each family is counted by its head. About 100 people lived in those households, 5 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Sheredine, Sharadine, Sharadon, Shardon, Sheardon, Sheradin, Sherden, Sherdon, Sheredan, Sheridan, Sheridine, Sherridan, Sherriden, Shoridine. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 8
Maryland 4
Massachusetts 2
North Carolina 2
Rhode Island 1
Connecticut 1
New York 1
South Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 261 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Sheridan in American newspapers,
1873–1914.

Newspaper page from Chicago Daily Tribune carrying the name Sheridan
Chicago Daily Tribune 1873-07-19
Newspaper page from Orangeburg Times carrying the name Sheridan
Orangeburg Times 1879-12-05
Newspaper page from Elmore County Republican carrying the name Sheridan
Elmore County Republican 1914-08-15

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 9,667 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Sheridan in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2000s.

93,752 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Sheridan. The most, 13,605, date from the 1900s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 38,740
Queensland 15,983
Victoria 13,031
South Australia 10,673
Western Australia 7,639
Tasmania 7,378
ACT (Canberra) 131
Northern Territory 47

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

Who carried it

People named Sheridan,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John F. Sheridan
    John F. Sheridan d. 1908 · actor
  • John Donnelly Sheridan d. 1963 · politician
  • Sir Henry Sheridan d. 1802 · plantation owner
  • Francis Cynric Sheridan d. 1843 · official
  • Denis Sheridan d. 1646
  • Catherine Sheridan d. 1854

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Sheridan,
in the records of 9 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 States8,651 records

8,651 records of the Sheridan name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 3,349
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 2,215
  • Other U.S. records 3,087
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Robert Edward Sheridan

    Born 1948; from Placentia, California. U.S. Army, infantry unit commander; killed in action 1969 in Laos. Buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Thomas A. Sheridan

    Born 1905 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at New York City; longshoreman from Bronx County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1987, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Majestic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 16; servant. From Mayo, Ireland; bound for Philadelphia.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 8,651 records for Sheridan in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · 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 · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,460 records

1,460 records of the Sheridan name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 595
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 309
  • Other Australian records 556
  1. 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 William Sheridan

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Waverley, sailing from Kingston in 1841. Native of Kildare. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1846.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. 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 Rose Sheridan

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Midlothian, sailing from Kingston in 1852. Native of Cavan. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Patrick Sheridan

    Died 1894 in Longford, Tasmania, aged 75. Will registered in Tasmania in 1894.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,460 records for Sheridan 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) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada173 records

173 records of the Sheridan name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 125
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 17
  • Other Canadian records 31
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record James A. Sheridan

    Killed in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, aged 46; buried at Enfield.

    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 James Matthew Sheridan

    Buried in 1981 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 50.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Jacquelin Sheridan

    Buried in 1982 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 38.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 173 records for Sheridan in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Netherlands65 records

65 records of the Sheridan name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 36
  • Dutch population registers 22
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 7
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Johannes Franciscus Josephus Sheridan

    Married in 1891 in Aalten; factory worker. Died 1928 in Aalten, aged 71.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Helena Geertruida Sheridan

    Born 1907 in Aalten. Died 1925 in Aalten, aged 18.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Johanna Wilhelmina Sheridan

    Born 1910 in Aalten. Married in 1943 in Bergh.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 65 records for Sheridan in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand43 records

43 records of the Sheridan name in New Zealand
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 22
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 19
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Lila Florence Sheridan

    Died 1953, aged 58; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Christopher Sheridan

    Died 1974, aged 27; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Daniel Sheridan

    Buried in 1914 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 80.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 43 records for Sheridan in New Zealand.

Counts: Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom42 records

42 records of the Sheridan name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 26
  • Stirling Council burial records 14
  • Other British records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Sheridan

    Buried in 1952 at Valley Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 67.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record John W. Sheridan

    Died 1918. Named in the roll of honour of the Royal High School of Edinburgh (1920).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record M. Sheridan

    Machine Gun Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1913.

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

Showing 3 of 42 records for Sheridan in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Ireland12 records

12 records of the Sheridan name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Sheridan

    Died 1883, aged 49; buried at Lackagh (Old), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Sheridan

    Died 1817; buried at Kilcummin, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 12 records for Sheridan in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France3 records

3 records of the Sheridan name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marcelle Sheridan

    Born 1891 in Paris; died 1973 in Bois-Anzeray (Eure).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 1 of 3 records for Sheridan in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Belgium3 records

3 records of the Sheridan name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record André Shéridan

    Died 1916 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 3 records for Sheridan in Belgium.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Sheridan.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Sheridan 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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