Shemeld Family History

Perhaps from an unrecorded Middle English shimeld or shemeld, formally related to shimed meaning ‘dappled, dapple-grey, speckled’ (with reference to horses), and thus used of people whose hair was dappled or grey-white.

It may also derive from an Old French female personal name Simeld or Semeld. This name is recorded twice only as Siemel and Simeldis in 10th-century France and presumably originates from a Continental Germanic *Simihildis.

The name *Simihildis is composed of an uncertain first element and *-hild meaning ‘battle’. The palatalization of S- to Sh- is common in Middle English and in this instance may have been influenced by the word in the first paragraph.

However, the personal name is rare in medieval France and is not attested at all in English records as a given name, so this explanation must be treated with caution.