The suburb is named after Francis Frederick Rising Shailer and his wife Catherine, who arrived with their children in the area in 1866. Like many farmers in the area, they first grew cotton and later sugar. The Shailers were probably best known for their fruit growing and operated the first citrus orchard in southern Queensland, situated in Slacks Creek. The land selected by Francis Shailer was situated to the north of the current Shailer Road. Francis Shailer was a teacher at the first and second Slacks Creek Provisional Schools. He was also the first Clerk of the Tingalpa Divisional Board in 1880. The Shailers intermarried with other pioneering families in the district including the Dennis family, who were related to the Markwells, as well as the Murrays, who had an adjoining property along the Logan River. The property still exists at the end of Murrays Road.