SHAW

The family history of the ancient name Shaw was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. The name Shaw is derived from the Gaelic word 'sithech' meaning 'wolf'. Variants of this Gaelic name include Shawe and Shay. Shaw 'Mor', who was the great grandson of Angus, sixth Chief of MacKintosh and Eva of Clan Chattan, was the leader of Clan Chattan at the Battle of the North Inch, in the year 1396. His son James was killed at Harlaw in 1411 but his heir Alasdair succeeded him. Alasdair's brother Adam was founder of Clan Tordarroch, who acted for Clan Shaw, and at Inverness, 1543, and Termit, 1609, signed the Clan Chattan Bands. Most of the name in Ireland are of immigrant origin having arrived from Scotland during the seventeenth century. It is in Ulster as well as in County Dublin that the name is today still mostly found.The Shaw family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Shaw descendants.