CORRIN

Corrin is an Irish surname of Gaelic origin. The name derives from the Irish patronymic Ó Corraín, meaning "descendant of Corrán". The personal name Corrán itself is a diminutive of corr, the Gaelic word for "spear". Consequently, the surname originally signified a descendant of someone who had earned the nickname for either skill with a spear or for bearing a spear‑like appearance.

The earliest documented spelling of the family name appears in a charter of 1300, where a Simon O'Currin is recorded as Bishop of Kilfenora during the reign of King Edward the First. Throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the name was found principally in the counties of Waterford, Tipperary, Galway and Leitrim, and later in Kerry where it often appeared as Currane. In County Cork, it is recorded in its original form against the habit of the region, suggesting a deep local root.

In the seventeenth century the surname was altered several times by the process of anglicisation. Variants such as O'Corrain, O'Currain, Corran, Curreen, Curren, Corrane, Corring, Corrinn, Corron and Corrinn are all recognised as contemporary forms. The diversity of spellings reflects both regional pronunciation differences and clerical transcription practices.

While the name remains usually connected to Irish heritage, it is also found with notable concentration in England and, through the Irish diaspora, in Australia, the United States, Canada, New Zealand and the Isle of Man. In the Isle of Man it may be linked to the local Manx Gaelic word for “sickle” or “crescent”, and the family was recorded as prominent there, with an ancestral home in Orrisdale.

Documented individuals bearing the surname include: Andrew O'Curran, a member of the Order of Saint Benedict who served as Prior of Glascarrig in 1411; Elizabeth Corrin, who married James Haselden at St. Nicholas, Liverpool on 14 July 1755; Elizabeth Corrin, who married John Lace at St. Anne's, Soho, Westminster, London on 18 October 1783; and Mary Ann Corrin, daughter of John and Ellen Corrin, who was christened on 19 May 1786 at St. Nicholas, Liverpool. These entries illustrate the surname’s continuity in ecclesiastical and civil records across centuries.

In sum, the surname Corrin represents a line of descendants who, from an early epoch, were identified by either martial prowess or a striking spear‑like characteristic. Its various spellings and geographical spread reflect both the linguistic evolution of Irish patronymics and the broader movements of Irish people across the globe.

Typical given names associated with the Corrin surname

Male

• Alan
• Andrew
• David
• Howard
• James
• John
• Juan
• Paul
• Peter
• Philip
• Robert
• Thomas
• Tom
• William

Female

• Anne
• Christine
• Elizabeth
• Gail
• Gaynor
• Jane
• Lucy
• Pamela
• Rebecca
• Sarah
• Susan

Similar and related surnames

Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.

How to communicate the surname Corrin in...

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