William Shakeshaft, who appeared in the Preston Guild Rolls of 1542 as a Burgess, and Henry Shakeshaft, recorded in Hearth Tax Rolls of Suffolk in 1674 Recorded as "Shakshaft" and "Shakeshaft", this is one of a group of English medieval surnames including, Shakespeare, Shacklock, Shakelance and Shakespur, which are almost certainly nicknames for soldiers