Origin of the Name Short
The ancient history of the name
Short was found in the allfamilycrests.com archives.
Over the centuries Surnames developed a wide number of variants. Different spellings of the same name can be traced back to an original root. Additionally when a bearer of a name emigrated it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books at their new location. Surnames were also often altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another.
Variants of the name Short
include Shortman, Shorte, Shortt and Shorter. This name is of Anglo-Saxon descent spreading to the Celtic countries of Ireland, Scotland and Wales in early times and is found in many mediaeval manuscripts throughout these countries. Examples of such are a William Short of County Suffolk who was recorded in the 'Hundred Rolls', England, in the year 1273. A Johannes Short was recorded in the 'Poll Tax' of the West Riding of Yorkshire in the year 1379. In Scotland a John Schort and a Roger Schort were Cicars Ministrant 'in choro Glasguensi' in the year 1410. In Ireland the name Short is most associated with County Dublin and Ulster Province although some families of the Mac An Ghirr sept of County Armagh anglicized their name as Short as well as the more usual MacGirr.
The Short coat of arms came into existence centuries ago. The process of creating coats of arms (also often called family crests) began in the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this. The new art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own coat of arms, including all Short descendants.