Sherlock Family Crest, Coat of Arms & Sherlock Name Origin

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Origin of the Name Sherlock

The origin of the name Sherlock was found in the allfamilycrests.com archives. Variants of Sherlock include Shylock. This is a Nickname from 'scir locc' meaning 'bright-haired'. This was one of the great Anglo-Norman families who landed in England with the Norman Invasion and then onto Ireland with the Anglo-Norman Invasion. This name is of Anglo-Norman descent spreading to Ireland, Scotland and Wales in early times and is found in many mediaeval manuscripts in the above countries. Examples of such are a Beatrice Schyrlok, County Bedfordshire, who was recorded in the 'Hundred Rolls', England, in the year 1273 and a Johannes Shirlok, who was recorded in the 'Poll Tax' of the West Riding of Yorkshire, in the year 1379. In Ireland it was found in the form of Scurlock, and in County Westmeath we find two townlands of Scurlockstown named after these families. One distinguished family settled in County Waterford, their seat being Butlerstown. John Sherlock, who was born in France of Irish parents, took part in the Bantry Bay expedition of 1796.