Shaw is most commonly a surname and rarely a given name.
British name
The name is of English and Scottish origin. In some cases, the surname is an Americanization of a similar-sounding Ashkenazic Jewish surname.[1] In England and Scotland, the name is a topographic name for someone who lived by a copse or thicket.[1] This name is derived from the Middle English schage, shage, schawe, and shawe, from the Old English sceaga meaning "dweller by the wood".[1][2] The name can also be a habitational name derived from places named after these words. The English surname was established in Ireland during the 17th century.
People with the given name "Shaw"
- Shaw Clifton (1945–2023), 18th General of The Salvation Army
- Walter Shaw Sparrow (1862–1940), British writer on art and architecture
- Shaw Taylor (1924–2015), British actor and TV presenter
People with the surname "Shaw"
A–E
- A. G. L. Shaw (1916–2012), Australian historian
- A. R. Shaw (1922–2013), American educator and politician
- Aaron Shaw (representative) (1811–1887), U.S. Representative from Illinois
- Adam Shaw (journalist), British business journalist and presenter
- Adam Shaw (painter) (born 1957), American painter
- Aeneas Shaw (1740–1814), Canadian soldier and political figure
- Alfred Shaw (1842–1907), English cricketer
- Alice Marion Shaw (1890-?), American composer and pianist
- Amos F. Shaw, American politician
- Andrea Shaw (born 1983), American professional bodybuilder
- Andrew Shaw (ice hockey) (born 1991), NHL player (Montreal Canadiens)
- Anna Howard Shaw (1847–1919), American suffragette
- Anne Gillespie Shaw (1904–1982), Scottish engineer and businesswoman
- Archie Shaw (1922–1985), Scottish footballer
- Artie Shaw (1910–2004), American bandleader
- Ashley Shaw (born 1991), English cricketer
- Barbara Shaw (politician) (1942–2021), American politician
- Bernard Shaw (disambiguation), several people
- Bill Shaw (footballer, born 1886), Scottish footballer
- Bill Kennedy Shaw (1901–1979), British army captain, explorer
- Billy Shaw (born 1938), American football player
- Brewster H. Shaw (born 1945), retired U.S. Air Force colonel and former NASA astronaut
- Brian Shaw (basketball) (born 1966), American former basketball player
- Brian Shaw (strongman), American professional strongman and winner of World's Strongest Man
- Bryan Shaw (baseball) (born 1987), American baseball player
- Caroline Shaw (born 1982), American Pulitzer-Prize-winning composer
- Charles Thurstan Shaw (1914–2013), English archaeologist
- Clay Shaw (1913–1974), charged by Jim Garrison with conspiracy to murder John F. Kennedy
- Cliff Shaw, computer programmer
- David Shaw (disambiguation), several people
- Donald Douglas Shaw (1834–1859), New York assemblyman-elect
- Eddie Shaw (1937–2018), American blues saxophonist, arranger and bandleader
- Eddie Shaw (rock musician), American bass guitarist and founding member of the rock band The Monks
- Emma L. Shaw, American magazine editor
- Enrique Ernesto Shaw (1921–1962), Argentine marine and Roman Catholic businessman
- Esther Popel Shaw (1896–1958), poet of the Harlem Renaissance
- Eyre Massey Shaw, British Army and London Fireman.
F–O
- Fiona Shaw (born 1958), Irish actress who plays Petunia Dursley in the Harry Potter films
- Flora Madeline Shaw (1864–1927), Canadian nurse and nursing teacher
- Frank L. Shaw (1887–1958), former mayor of Los Angeles, California
- Frankie Shaw (born 1986), American actress
- Frederick H. Shaw (1864–1924), British citizen who had a prominent role in the creation of the Spanish Institute of Provision, 1908
- Sir Frederick Shaw, 3rd Baronet from 1869, (1799–1876), Irish Conservative MP in the United Kingdom Parliament
- George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950), Irish playwright
- George Shaw (disambiguation), several people
- Graham Shaw (footballer, born 1934) (1934–1998), former Sheffield United footballer
- Henry Shaw (philanthropist) (1800–1889), English-American philanthropist
- Henry Wheeler Shaw (1818–1895), "Josh Billings", American humorist
- Herman Shaw (1892–1950), English geophysicist and museum director
- Irwin Shaw (1913–1984), American playwright, screenwriter and author
- JR Shaw (1934–2020), Canadian businessman
- Jane Shaw (born 1963) Anglican/Episcopalian priest (England and United States)
- Jane S. Shaw, American free-market environmentalist
- Joe Shaw (footballer, born 1928), former Sheffield United footballer
- John Shaw (disambiguation), several people
- Jonathan Shaw (disambiguation), several people
- Julia Shaw (cyclist) (born 1965), British physicist and racing cyclist
- Julia Shaw (psychologist) (born 1987), Canadian psychologist
- Kathryn Shaw, Canadian theatre actor and director
- Kathryn L. Shaw, economist
- L. M. Shaw (1848–1932), American banker and politician, Secretary of the Treasury
- Leander J. Shaw Jr. (1930–2015), American jurist
- Lemuel Shaw (1781–1861), American jurist
- Leslie Shaw, (born 1989), Peruvian model and singer
- Lindsey Shaw (born 1989), American actress
- Luke Shaw (born 1995), English footballer
- Malcolm Shaw (born 1947), English lawyer and academic
- Malcolm Shaw (rower) (1947–2014), Australian rower
- Malcolm Shaw (soccer) (born 1995), Canadian soccer player
- María Pía Shaw, Argentine journalist
- Marlena Shaw (born 1943), American singer
- Martin Shaw (born 1945), English actor
- Melville J. Shaw (1872–1927), Marine Corps Brevet Medal recipient
- Michael Shaw (disambiguation), multiple people
- Naman Shaw, Indian television actor
- Napier Shaw (1854–1945), British meteorologist
- Norman Shaw (rugby league), rugby league footballer of the 1920s and 1930s
- Oscar Shaw (1887–1967), American actor and singer
P–Z
- Pamela Shaw, British neurologist
- Patrick Shaw (diplomat) (1913–1975), Australian diplomat
- Pauline Agassiz Shaw (1841–1917), American philanthropist and social reformer
- Percy Shaw (1890–1976), British inventor of the cat's-eye reflector for roads
- Peter Shaw (disambiguation), several people
- Prithvi Shaw (born 1999), Indian cricketer
- Quincy Adams Shaw (1825–1908), American investor and industrialist
- Rebecca Shaw (disambiguation), several people
- Reta Shaw (1912–1982), American actress
- Richard G. Shaw (born 1943), first African American insurance commissioner for West Virginia
- Richard Norman Shaw (1831–1912), British architect
- Robert Shaw (disambiguation), several people
- Ronald Shaw (1920–1945), Royal Air Force corporal during World War II
- Ruth Shaw (disambiguation), several people
- Sally Shaw (born 1978), Australian cricketer
- Sam Shaw (disambiguation), several people
- Samantha Shaw (born 1957), American politician
- Samuel Shaw (disambiguation), several people
- Sandie Shaw (born 1947), British singer
- Sebastian Shaw (disambiguation), several people
- Simon Shaw (born 1973), English rugby union player
- Spencer Shaw (1916–2010), American librarian
- Stanford J. Shaw (1930–2006), American historian
- Susan Shaw (disambiguation), several people
- Suzanne Shaw (born 1981), British actress and singer
- Sylvia Shaw Judson (1897–1978), also known as Sylvia Shaw Haskins, American sculptor and teacher
- T. E. Shaw, pseudonym of T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia")
- Terrey Shaw (1946–1997), Australian chess master
- Tevin Shaw (born 1997), Jamaican footballer
- Thomas Shaw (disambiguation), several people
- Todd Shaw, birth name of American rapper Too Short
- Tom Shaw (disambiguation), several people
- Tommy Shaw (born 1953) American musician (Styx)
- Toni Shaw (born 2003), British Paralympic swimmer
- Tony Shaw (Australian rules footballer) (born 1960), Australian rules footballer & media personality
- Travis Shaw (born 1990), American baseball player
- Vero Shaw (1854–1905), Indian-born English cricketer and Scottish clan chief
- Watkins Shaw (1911–1996), British musicologist
- Wayne Shaw (disambiguation), several people
- Wilbur Shaw (1902–1954), American race car driver
- William Arthur Shaw (1865–1943), English historian and archivist
- William James Shaw (1877–1939), American entrepreneur and philanthropist
- Willis R. Shaw (1860–1933), American politician
- Woody Shaw (1944–1989), American jazz trumpeter
- Zed Shaw, Canadian writer, software developer and musician
Fictional characters
- Daniel Shaw, in the TV series Chuck
- Sebastian Shaw a member of the Hellfire Club from Marvel Comics
- Sameen Shaw, in the TV series Person of Interest
- Deckard, Hattie, Magdalene, and Owen Shaw, from the Fast & Furious film series, see List of The Fast and the Furious characters
- Shaw, from the animated film Open Season
- Brandon Shaw, from the Alfred Hitchcock film Rope
- Rev. Shaw Moore, from the film Footloose
- Leah Shaw, from the TV show The Walking Dead
Chinese surnames
Shaw is a romanization of Chinese: 邵 with various Latinized spellings, including Shaw, Siaw, Siew, Shao, Shiu, Siu, Chow, and Sho.
People by this surname with this spelling
- Runde Shaw (1899–1973)
- Runje Shaw (1896–1975)
- Runme Shaw (1901–1985), Hong Kong entertainment mogul and philanthropist
- Run Run Shaw (1907–2014), Hong Kong entertainment mogul and philanthropist
Shaw is also a rare romanization of the simplified Chinese: 萧; traditional Chinese: 蕭, inspired by its use as the transliteration of Shaw for notable figures such as Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw and English actor Robert Shaw.
See also
- Quintyne Schaw, makar mentioned in "Lament for the Makaris"
- Shaw (disambiguation)
- Clan Shaw of Tordarroch, Scottish clan
- Shao, Chinese family name also spelled as "Shaw"
- Shah (surname)
- Xiao (surname), Chinese family name also spelled as "Shaw"
References
- 1 2 3 "Shaw Family History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 8 February 2012. Citing: Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508137-4.
- ↑ Reaney, Percy Hilde; Wilson, Richard Middlewood (2006). A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed.). London: Routledge. p. 2811. ISBN 0-203-99355-1.
External links
- Surname "Shaw", forebears.co.uk