Shields Family History

Shields Surname Meaning

English: variant of Shield 1 (and perhaps occasionally 2 3 and ) with plural or post-medieval excrescent -s. In the plural form the surname may also be topographic for someone who lived in or near some huts or habitational from a place so named such as North Shields (Northumberland) and South Shields (Durham) though these are unlikely to be the main sources of the surname.

Irish: shortened form of O'Shields an alternative Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Siadhail; see Shiel.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Shield, Fields, Shiels, Childs, Child, Field, Hils, Hild, Thiel, Held

1 million record(s) for Shields

418K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
59K	Military Records
40K	Immigration Records
327K	Census and Voter Lists
823K	Member Trees

Where is the Shields family from?

You can see how Shields families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Shields family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Shields families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 102 Shields families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 16% of all the recorded Shields's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Shields families in 1840.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Shields surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Shields ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Shields. 16% of Shields men worked as a Laborer and 7% of Shields women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Shields were Clerk and Maid.

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

Laborer

16%

Farmer

14%

Salesman

5%

Clerk

4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

Housewife

7%

Teacher

7%

Housekeeper

6%

Maid

6%

What Shields family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 327K census records available for the last name Shields. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Shields census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Passenger List

There are 40K immigration records available for the last name Shields. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

Military Records

There are 59K military records available for the last name Shields. For the veterans among your Shields ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

What is the average Shields lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Shields life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Shields in 1940 was 42, and 74 in 2004.

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Shields ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.