Shands History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Shands family

The surname Shands was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland, where they held a family seat from ancient times, some say as early as the 12th century. In this county the name has been found in the parishes of Fyvie, Drumblade, Auchterless, Culsalmond, Forgue, Turriff, Gamrie and King Edward. 

“A rare but old surname in Scotland. ‘The surname of Shand seems originally to have been confined to the north-eastern counties, particularly Aberdeenshire, and in that county more especially to the districts comprising the parishes of: Turriff, Forgue, Drumblade, Auchterless, Culsalmond, Fyvie, King-Edward, and Garnrie.” [1]

The family is said, by C.F. Shand, the family historian, to be descended from Philibert de Shaunde, Earl of Bath in 1485, who in turn, was descended from a noble house in Normandy. The Earl of Bath, Philibert Shaunde, was created by King Henry II of England and Normandy. Philibert was styled by the King as “Consanguineus noster.” [2]

Further south in England, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include: Johannes Schaune, Webster; and Thomas Shan. [3]

Early History of the Shands family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shands research.

Shands Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Shand, Chand, Schand, Chandai, Shandscross, Shawnd and many more.

Migration of the Shands family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: A. Shand who arrived in San Francisco, California, in 1852.

Contemporary Notables of the name Shands (post 1700) +

• William Augustine “Willie” Shands (1889-1973), American politician, Democrat member of the Florida Senate

The Shands Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Virtute duce comite fortuna
Motto Translation: With valor my leader and good fortune my companion.