Surname Shephard - Meaning and Origin

An Ancestral Odyssey: Tracing the History and Culture behind the Surname Shephard through iGENEA DNA Test

Exploring my ancestry through iGENEA DNA test has led me on a fascinating journey through time and space, unraveling the rich and complex history behind my surname, Shephard. The exploration unveiled connections to medieval England, the Sephardic Jewish Diaspora, and several European regions, thereby transforming my understanding of my family name from a mere identity tag into a rich tapestry of cultural and historical narratives.

L. Shephard

Shephard: What does the surname Shephard mean?

The last name Shephard is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "sceap", meaning sheep, and "hierde", meaning herder. Thus, the name Shephard signifies a person who herds sheep or a shepherd. In the Middle Ages, herding sheep was one of the most common occupations in England, hence the prevalence of this surname. Variations of the name include Shepherd, Shepard, Sheppard, and Shepphard. Despite its meaning, the family may not have always been shepherds by trade. Surnames became a necessity when governments introduced tax systems, thus these occupational surnames originally denoted the actual occupation of the name bearer. Over the course of time, as society evolved or was disrupted by war and other factors, people found new occupations, but many continued to carry their old occupational surnames passed down from their ancestors.

Shephard: Where does the name Shephard come from?

The last name Shephard is most commonly found in English-speaking countries such as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.

In the United States, the name is most prevalent in the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky, and California. It is also quite common in the states of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama.

In Canada, Shephard is particularly common in Ontario, as well as the Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Additionally, the name is quite common in the province of British Columbia.

In the United Kingdom, the name Shephard is primarily found in England, especially in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, Kent, and Cornwall. In Scotland, the name is most common in Perthshire and Dunbartonshire.

Meanwhile, in Australia, Shephard is most commonly found in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. In New Zealand, the name is most popular in Canterbury, Otago, and Southland.

In general, Shephard is an occupational name, derived from the Middle English and Old French term for "shepherd." As a result, the name is associated with those who maintain flocks of sheep or animals. The name is usually pronounced with a short "e" sound (Shep-ard) and can also be spelled Shepherd.

Variations of the surname Shephard

The surname Shephard has several variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin. These include Sheppard, Shephard, Shepard, Shepherd, Schaapherder, Schäfer, and Sepherd.

The spelling variations of Shephard resulted from the design of the english language prior to the introduction of printing and the standardization of spelling due to the dictionaries in the 1800’s.

The surname Shephard is likely derived from the old english word Sceapheard, which means "shepherd." It was a common occupational name for someone employed as either an actual sheepherder or for someone acting in the capacity of the manager or overseer of such position. This word was used in various forms in countries such as England, Scotland and Germany.

The surname Shephard can be found as both a given name and surname in the United States, Canada, England and Scotland. It is also common in African American and Native American cultures.

The various spellings of the surname Shephard have been adopted by many families over the centuries. The change in spelling of the surname has been attributed to branches of the same family line adopting different spellings, as a result of dialectal differences and misspelling of the original surname.

In addition to the various spellings of Shephard, the surname has also been Anglicized to Shepherd and Sheppard, among other spellings. The Scottish Clan of Shepherd is also an important part of the Shephard surname origin.

Famous people with the name Shephard

• Alan Shepard: first American to travel to space; the fifth person to ever walk on the moon.
• Cybill Shepherd: actress best known for her role in the sitcom Moonlighting
• Daryl Shepard: Professional English Pool Player
• David Shepard: film preservationist and archivist
• Dermot Shephard: television presenter of BBC's Gardeners' World
• Floella Benjamin, Baroness Benjamin: Caribbean-British actress, author, television presenter and businesswoman
• Forrest Shephard: professional baseball player who played in the major leagues for the Pittsburgh Pirates
• Gary Shepard: lead singer in the band Gene Loves Jezebel
• Jared Shephard: American actor, director, and producer
• Joe Shepard: film producer and executive, very well known for success of The Blob
• Lucius Shepard: Science fiction and fantasy author
• Matthew Shepard: gay student at the University of Wyoming; the brutality of his death lead to the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act
• Miguel Shephard: former American Football running back
• Nathan Shephard: former Linebacker who later worked as a coach
• Randall Shepard: former Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court
• Richard Shepard: filmmaker and writer
• Robert Shephard: British politician and Member of Parliament
• Scott Shepard: former professional baseball player
• Stan Shephard: former professional ice hockey player
• Tommy Shepard: former quarterback in the CFL

Other surnames

Shephardson