Shannon Family History

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Shannon Name Meaning

reduced form of Shanahan. reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Seanáin ‘descendant of Seanán’, a personal name based on a pet form of seán ‘old’. in County Clare, a reduced Anglicized form of Mac Giolla tSeanáin ‘son of the servant of St. Seanán’. In the Irish midlands Leonard and Nugent have been adopted as equivalents of this name.

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


Similar surnames: Hannon, Cannon, Gannon, Hannan, Scanlon, Hanlon, Bannon, Hanson

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Shannon Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Shannon name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Shannon. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    42%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    27%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    3%

  • Cameroon, Congo, & Southern Bantu Peoples

    3%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Shannon Family Origin

Where is the Shannon family from?

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You can see how Shannon families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Shannon family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Shannon families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 490 Shannon families living in Lancashire. This was about 30% of all the recorded Shannon's in the UK. Lancashire had the highest population of Shannon families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Shannon surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Shannon

Shannon Family Occupations

What did your Shannon ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, Labourer, Gen Lab and Cabinet Maker were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Shannon. The most common Shannon occupation in the UK was Labourer. 8% of Shannon's were Labourers. A less common occupation for the Shannon family was Carter.

View Census data for Shannon | Data not to scale

  • Labourer

    8%

  • Gen Lab

    2%

  • Cabinet Maker

    1%

  • Carter

    1%

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

Shannon Historical Records

What Shannon family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 282,000 census records available for the last name Shannon. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Shannon census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Shannon

Passenger List

There are 36,000 immigration records available for the last name Shannon. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Shannon immigration records

Draft Card

There are 54,000 military records available for the last name Shannon. For the veterans among your Shannon ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Shannon military records

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

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Shannon Life Expectancy

What is the average Shannon lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Shannon life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Shannon in 1942 was 36, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Shannon

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Shannon 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.

Famous Shannon Family Ancestors

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