Shea Family History

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Shea Name Meaning

Irish: reduced form of O’Shea, Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Séaghdha ‘descendant of Séaghdha’, a byname meaning ‘fine’ or ‘fortunate’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Shera, Shean, Shead, Shan, Rea, Sem, Shey, Saha, Sosa, Seda

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Shea Family Origin

Where is the Shea family from?

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1840
    1920
    You can see how Shea families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Shea family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Shea families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 17 Shea families living in New York. This was about 25% of all the recorded Shea's in the USA. New York had the highest population of Shea families in 1840.
    Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Shea surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

    View Census Data for Shea

    Shea Family Occupations

    What did your Shea ancestors do for a living?

    In 1880, the most common Shea occupation in the USA was Laborer. 23% of Shea's were Laborers. A less common occupation for the Shea family was Miner. Laborer, Farmer and Keeping House were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Shea.

    View Census data for Shea | Data not to scale

    • Laborer

      23%

    • Farmer

      12%

    • Keeping House

      8%

    • Miner

      2%

    Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Shea ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

    Shea Historical Records

    What Shea family records will you find?

    Census Record

    There are 271,000 census records available for the last name Shea. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Shea census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

    Search 1940's US census records for Shea

    Passenger List

    There are 70,000 immigration records available for the last name Shea. 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.

    View all Shea immigration records

    Draft Card

    There are 52,000 military records available for the last name Shea. For the veterans among your Shea ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

    View all Shea military records

    You've only scratched the surface of Shea family history.

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    Shea Life Expectancy

    What is the average Shea lifespan?

    Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Shea life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1946, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Shea in 1941 was 38, and 75 in 2004.

    View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Shea

    An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Shea 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.

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