Shields — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Siadhail
Meaning: 'descendant of Siadhal'
Traditional stronghold: Offaly, Donegal
Pronunciation: SHEELDZ; Irish Ó Siadhail: oh SHEE-il
History of the Shields name
Ó Siadhail derives from the early personal name Siadhal, borne by two saints associated with Dublin. The family's fame in Gaelic Ireland was medical: the O'Shiels were among the great hereditary physician families, serving the MacCoughlans of Delvin in Offaly and other lordships, and the celebrated 'Book of the O'Shiels', a seventeenth-century medical manuscript, preserves their learning. The name's homeland stretched across Ulster - Donegal, Derry and Tyrone especially - with the Offaly medical branch a notable outlier. Anglicisations multiplied: Shiel, Shiels, Shields and O'Shiel are all current, with Shields dominant in America. Its bearers include a general who was senator for three different US states.
Variants: Shiels · Shiel · O'Shiel · Sheils
Famous bearers of the name
- James Shields — Tyrone-born Union general, the only man to serve as US Senator for three states.
- Arthur Shields — Abbey Theatre actor and 1916 veteran; his brother, Oscar-winner Barry Fitzgerald, was born William Joseph Shields.
- Micheal O'Siadhail — Dublin poet writing in English and Irish.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Gallagher · Dunne · Boyle · Doherty · Sweeney · O'Donnell · Duffy · McLoughlin