Recorded as Shalder, Shallder, Shalders, Shaldies, and possibly others, this is apparently an English surname. Well recorded in the International Genealogical Index for the city of London, nevertheless the spelling in any form is not recorded in any of the known dictionaries of surnames of Europe. Looking at the possibilities, the name could be job descriptive, except that we do not know of any job such as 'shaldering', or it could be locational, but if so the gazetters do not indicate any such place as 'Shauld' or similar. The nearest description that we have been able to find that might indicate an origin is the pre 9th century Norse-Viking word 'scalde'. This translates as 'shallow' and appears in such place names as Shalford in Essex originally 'Scaldfort' in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, and translating as 'shallow shallow,' or Shalstone in Berkshire, originally 'Scaldestona', meaning the village by the shallow river crossing. The first recording in the registers of Greater London would seem to be that of William Shallder at St Mary Whitechapel, Stepney, on December 12th 1667, whilst others include Jane Shalders who married William Ratcliffe by civil licence in London, on September 19th 1794, and William Shalders and his wife Mary, who were christening witnesses at St Matthews, Bethnal Green, on October 13th 1804.

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