The Shine surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,217 people carried this name — #5,595 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 47,400 people counted. That is up 2% from 6,083 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Shine surname

As a surname in the United Kingdom

Harrison classes it as a Celtic name: ‘Falcon, Hawk’.

From the Irish Seighin, a diminutive of séigh; not without confusion with séighion, “champion”.

From Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. II (London: The Morland Press, 1918), p. 156 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 26 births for the Shine name in 1890.

Most were registered in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,200 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “12 in Cork.”

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

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 21
Connacht 3
Leinster 2

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

In print

Shine in American newspapers,
1896–1922.

Newspaper page from The Birmingham Age-herald carrying the name Shine
The Birmingham Age-herald 1922-02-05
Newspaper page from The Portland Daily Press carrying the name Shine
The Portland Daily Press 1896-12-11
Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Shine
Daily Kennebec Journal 1917-04-04

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,110 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Shine in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

17,500 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Shine. The most, 4,719, date from the 1890s. 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 Western Australia, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 6,132
Victoria 4,027
Queensland 3,240
Western Australia 2,188
South Australia 1,591
Tasmania 255
ACT (Canberra) 49
Northern Territory 8

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

Who carried it

People named Shine,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Ken Shine d. 2026 · rugby league coach
  • Hester M. Shine d. 1907
  • Bonne Clothilde Shine 1815–1893
  • Ellen Shine 1832–1916
  • Wilfred Shine 1863–1939 · actor
  • Wilfred Shine 1863–1939 · actor

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Shine,
in the records of 7 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 States1,434 records

1,434 records of the Shine name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 572
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 308
  • Other U.S. records 554
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Randolph E. Shine

    Born 1906 in Massachusetts. Enlisted 1942 at Los Angeles, California; driver. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1982, buried at Riverside National Cemetery, California.

    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 Matthew Shine

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Majestic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 27; agricultural worker. From Queenstown, Ireland; bound for Philadelphia.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Dennis Francis Shine

    Born 1947; from Worcester, Massachusetts. U.S. Army, infantryman; died in an accident 1969 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,434 records for Shine 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. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (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). 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); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia346 records

346 records of the Shine name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 163
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 93
  • Other Australian records 90
  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 John Shine

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Norfolk, arriving 1837; ticket of leave 1845.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Rudy Shine

    Arrived in Victoria in 1858 aboard the Morning Star, aged 30; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Ann Josephine Shine

    Gentlewoman of Bacchus Marsh, Victoria; died 2000.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 346 records for Shine in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada9 records

9 records of the Shine name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 4
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • Other Canadian records 3
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Ida Jane Shine

    Buried in 1924 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Mildred Marry Shine

    Died 1946 in Caledonia, Queens, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  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 Samuel Shine

    Died in service in 1916.

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

Showing 3 of 9 records for Shine 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. · 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

New Zealand9 records

9 records of the Shine name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 8
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Michael Robert Shine

    Died 1996, aged 71; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Eliza Shine

    Buried in 1890 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 67.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Elizabeth Shine

    Died 1966, aged 86; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Shine in New Zealand.

Counts: 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 Kingdom3 records

3 records of the Shine 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 D. Shine

    Loyal Irish Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    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 P. Shine

    Urham Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

Showing 2 of 3 records for Shine in the United Kingdom.

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).

Ireland1 record

1 record of the Shine 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 Shine

    Died 1996, aged 39; buried at Dunmore, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

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).

France1 record

1 record of the Shine 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 Jean Emile Shine

    Born 1900 in Paris; died 1977 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Shine.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Shine 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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