Surname Shirreffs - Meaning and Origin
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Shirreffs: What does the surname Shirreffs mean?
The surname Shirreffs is derived from the Old English word “shiref” which means sheriff, or a deputy of a county or shire. It is a habitational name, which usually denotes an origin from a place called Sheriffs (or Shirreffs, Shiref, etc) in Dorset, England.
Notably, this was a typical surname among officers that served under the command of William the Conqueror. During this period, Shirreffs acquired many places in the county of Dorset including a manor and a village. It is said that the original Shirreffs family still holds the original document which placed their family in the county of Dorset.
Since then, the Shirreffs family has spread throughout England and into North America, especially, Canada. The Shirreffs family, while not as widespread as others, still exists today.
The surname is often recognized as a testament to the feudal system and the long-reaching power of William the Conqueror and his holdings in Dorset. Those of the Shirreffs family are proud of their roots in English history, as the name serves as a reminder of their place in time.
Order DNA origin analysisShirreffs: Where does the name Shirreffs come from?
The last name Shirreffs is most likely of British origin. It is thought to have derived from the Scottish town of Shirefolds, which was found in the 13th century. The spelling of the name has changed over the centuries, with variations such as Shirrefs and Shurefolds showing up in historical records.
Today, the last name Shirreffs is most common in the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. In the United States, it has become more common in the western states such as California, Washington and Oregon. In the UK, the last name is most popular in Scotland, followed by England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Similarly, in Canada and Australia Shirreffs is most popular in the provinces and territories of Ontario, British Columbia and Queensland.
Shirreffs is also found in other parts of the world such as South Africa, New Zealand, India and Pakistan. In these countries, the last name usually belongs to a family with ancestral ties to the UK.
Overall, the last name Shirreffs is quite common in many parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries. It is likely that most people with the name can trace their ancestry back to the UK. However, this is not always the case as some families have adopted the last name out of appreciation for its history and legacy.
Variations of the surname Shirreffs
The surname Shirreffs has a variety of spellings and surnames of the same origin. The most common variants of the surname include Shiref, Shireff, Shirreff, Shirrefs, Shirefes, Shireffes, Shireffs, and Shirefs. The variant with the most entries in the US census records is Shoref or Shirref.
The origins of the surname can be traced back to the medieval period when surnames first began to take form. The surname has its roots in the Old English personal name ‘Scirf’ which was the name of a pre-6th century Saxon chieftain. It was originally used as a nickname and referred to someone who was ‘Keen-eyed or observant’.
The variant spellings of the surname may be attributed to a combination of the traditionally lower literacy rates among rural communities combined with the fact that many people had to rely on priests or clerks to record entries on documents or census records who may have had their own interpretation of what the original surname was.
Other surnames which are believed to be of the same origin as Shirreffs include Sherffes, Shurfes, Sharfes, Sharffs and Sherfes. These may have been derived from people who later adopted a more phonetically appealing spelling or an alternate way of pronouncing the original surname. Ultimately, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly how these variants originated.
Famous people with the name Shirreffs
- Anastasia Shirreffs, contemporary figurative expressionist painter.
- Kostas Shirreffs, Greek American actor, writer and director.
- George Shirreffs, American actor and Hitchcock stock company player, featured in "Spellbound", "The Wrong Man" and "The Man Who Knew Too Much".
- Robin Shirreffs, Canadian screenwriter, producer and director.
- Alan Shirreffs, British former professional footballer.
- Lawrence Shirreffs, American former college football coach and administrator.
- Hugo Shirreffs, British racer, former owner of Lydden Hill race circuit.
- Olga Shirreffs, British former evening school teacher.
- Nick Shirreffs, British former professional footballer.
- Trevor Shirreffs, Canadian chick lit author.