Is Sikin/Shikin a Gaelic name ?

[davidqueneherve]

Hi,

I am French. Three of my four grandparents are from Brittany. My great-grandmother's family name is SINQUIN according to the French records but in the local language (Breton), it's SIKIN or SHIKIN (with a hiss). My great-great-grandfather was known as Yann S(H)IKIN (Jean SINQUIN in French) When I started building my family, I was told that his family came from Ireland. So I was expecting to find an Irish ancestor but it appeared that all his forebears were born in Brittany.  Even if an old man told me once that the first one of the family came from Ireland more than 500 years ago, I dismissed the lore as a fairy tell until I found the name in a book. It mentioned two emigrants from Ireland to America whose family name was SHIKIN.

On familysearch, I also find SIKINS (and other variations of the name) from Ireland

https://familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=%2Bsurname%3Ashikin~%20%2Bbirth_place%3Aireland~

What does this family name mean ? Is it a Gaelic name or is it English ?

Because Ireland and Brittany are two Celtic nations, would it be possible that the same family name arose in two different places ?

What do you think ?

David

[annclare]

You also find Shinkwin mainly in Cork. John Grenham gives this version of the origin of the name Shinkwin   rare: Cork etc. Ir. Sinicín, which is a gaelicisation of Jenkins, q.v. MIF. (From Mac Lysaght More Irish Families )
also there are 31 entries for Shinkwin in the Irish 1901 Census Also some spelled Shinkivin. You can search for variants of the surname in the Census- http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/

[davidqueneherve]

Hi,

Thank you so much for your answer. That's very interesting. I wish the haplogroup of the French family was known.