Find out how popular the last name Sheahan is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sheahan.

Sheahan, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sheahan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sheahan in America

Sheahan is the 11537th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sheahan surname appeared 2,726 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Sheahan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sheahan to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sheahan

The surname Sheahan is of Irish origin and is believed to have originated in County Kerry, Ireland. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Ó Siodhachain," which means "descendant of Siodhachain." Siodhachain itself is a diminutive form of the Irish word "siodh," meaning "fairy" or "fairy mount."

The earliest known records of the Sheahan surname date back to the 16th century. One of the earliest documented instances of the name is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where a member of the Sheahan family is mentioned as having participated in a battle in County Kerry in the year 1580.

In the 17th century, the Sheahan family was prominent in the baronies of Iveragh and Dunkerron in County Kerry. During this period, the name was also spelled as "Sheehan," "Sheehy," and "Sheehan-Shee."

One of the most notable figures in the history of the Sheahan surname was John Sheahan, a Catholic priest and Irish patriot who lived in the late 18th century. He played a significant role in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and was executed by the British authorities for his involvement in the uprising.

Another prominent figure was Patrick Sheahan (1821-1897), an Irish-American politician and lawyer who served as the 16th Mayor of Detroit, Michigan, from 1879 to 1881.

In the late 19th century, the Sheahan family was also associated with the town of Ballymacelligott in County Kerry, where they were landowners and prominent members of the local community.

Other notable individuals with the Sheahan surname include Michael Sheahan (1841-1918), an Irish-American labor leader and politician who served as the 24th Mayor of Brooklyn, New York, and Denis Sheahan (1857-1934), an Irish-born Australian journalist and author who wrote extensively about Australian history and culture.

Throughout its history, the Sheahan surname has maintained a strong connection to its Irish roots, particularly in County Kerry, where it has been documented for centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sheahan

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sheahan.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sheahan was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sheahan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sheahan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sheahan, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!