The origins of the Shaw name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived near a small wood or shaw. Shaw is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. The surname Shaw is believed to be derived from the Old English word sceaga, which means dweller by the wood.
The surname Shaw was first found in Berkshire, where they were established in the 12th century.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shaw research.
Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1191, 1307, 1281, 1407, 1388, 1615, 1680, 1661, 1679, 1617, 1690, 1659, 1660, 1679, 1635, 1696, 1780, 1815 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Shaw History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Shaw were recorded, including Shaw, Shawe, Shave, Sheaves, Shaves, Shay, Shayes and many more.
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Shaw Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Shaw family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Beacon Hill's Colonel Robert Gould Shaw by Marion Whitney Smith.
Eight Generations of the Family of John Shaw, 1788-1858 and his Wife, Nancy Worthy Shaw, 1788-1846 of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Mississippi by William David McCain.
Isaac Towell & his Family by Roy H. Towell.