According to MacLysaght's _The Surnames of
Ireland_, Sheehy is probably ultimately derived from the Gaelic word sitheach, "eerie." Though almost all Irish and English surnames have been turned into given names in English-speaking countries on occasion, Sheehy is extremely rare as a first name, so if you want your daughter to have a name which has been regularly used as a given name in the USA, something like
Sheila or
Sheena would be a better choice.
This message was edited 9/9/2005, 12:53 PM