Shaughnessy
An Irish surname from O'Shaughnessy, originally a Gaelic family name linked to a personal byname or ancestral line.
The #5,672 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 50,473 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is the anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic O'Seachnasaigh, usually understood as meaning "descendant of Seachnasach." The personal name Seachnasach is generally connected with a word for neglect or exemption, though older sources can be inconsistent in spelling and interpretation. In short, the name began as a Gaelic clan or lineage surname and was later rendered into English spelling as Shaughnessy and related forms.
History
The name is strongly associated with Ireland and is especially recorded in Irish surname scholarship as an anglicized Gaelic family name. Historical spellings vary widely, including Shaughness, Shaunessy, and O'Shoughnessy, reflecting different attempts to write Irish sounds in English. It became established in English-language records as Irish migration spread the name beyond Ireland.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early Irish surname collectors often grouped many Shaughnessy spellings together, showing how fluid the anglicization of Irish names could be.
From the historical record
“2 for Shadwell, q.v, SHAUGHNESSY, V. O'Shaughnessy. SHAVE = Shafe, q.v. SHAW 1 (Eng.) Dweller at a Wood or Grove SHAWEJ [M.E. shatvie, schaw{e, schagh, O.E. sc{e)ag(f] A Scaga occurs in a charter, a.d. 778^ of Ecgberht, king of Kent, to the then Bishop ot Rochester, of land at ' Br6m-”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)