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Shields Family History

Shields Name 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, O'shields, Shiels, Field, Sheilds, Fields, Shiel, Deshields

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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 1911 there were 674 Shields families living in Ontario. This was about 59% of all the recorded Shields's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Shields families in 1911.
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 1921, Farmer and Clerk were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Shields. 35% of Shields men worked as a Farmer and 13% of Shields women worked as a Clerk. Some less common occupations for Americans named Shields were Clerk and Teacher. .

View Census Data for Shields | Data not to scale

*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 1921

  • Farmer
    35%
  • Laborer
    9%
  • Labourer
    5%
  • Clerk
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Clerk
    13%
  • Stenographer
    12%
  • Housekeeper
    11%
  • Teacher
    8%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Shields family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 327,000 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.

Search Canadian census records for Shields

Passenger Lists

There are 40,000 immigration records available for the last name Shields. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Shields immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 59,000 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.

View all Shields military records

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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.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Shields

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