This Irish sept name was originally of considerable importance in the Co. Offaly region before the Anglo-Norman invasion of 1169 AD. Today the name is found to some extent in Mayo and Donegal, although most Shevlins or Sherlans are found at Carrickmacross in Co. Monaghan. In the 17th Century the name was mostly recorded as O'Shevlin, O'Shevlan and O'Shavlan, whilst one Padraig Shevelin was recorded as being a reruit in Col. Thomas Dongans Register C. 1670. The modern spelling are Shevlan, Shevlan, Shevlane, Shivlin and Shovelin, the meaning is 'the son of the descendant of the swift one' (O' Seibhleain). The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Patrick O'Shevlin. which was dated 1665, in the Hearth Tax Rolls, Donegal. during the reign of King Charles 11, known as the Merry Monarch 1660 - 1685. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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