QUINN

Quinn is a surname of Irish provenance that finds its origins in the Gaelic language of the British Isles. It belongs to the family of patronymic surnames that indicate lineage from a given name or forename.

The name is derived from the Gaelic phrase Ó Cuinn, which translates as “descendant of Conn.” The personal name Conn is recorded in early medieval Irish annals as signifying “wisdom,” “intelligence,” or “chief.” The association of the surname with this forename points to the importance of the name in the social hierarchy of early Ireland.

In the Irish language, conn is also interpreted as “counsel,” an attribute valued in both political and tribal contexts. The antiquity of the name is evident in the charter of 1027, where it appears as Mac Cuinn, an early devise of king Canute of the Isle of Man. The surname’s earliest recorded spelling therefore dates back to the early second millennium.

The Anglicised form of the name appears in several variations, including O’ Quinn and Mac Quinn. The prefix O’ denotes “grandson of,” while mac means “son of.” In contemporary usage the version O’ Quinn is widespread throughout Ireland, with a pronounced concentration in County Tyrone, whereas Mac Quinn is most common in County Kerry.

Distinct septs are associated with the Quinn surname. The most notable is the Dalcassian sept of Thomond, a territory centred on Corofin in the barony of Inchiquin, County Clare, and the sept of the Glens of Antrim, which flourished in County Antrim. The earliest recorded exemplar of the sept was Niall O’ Cuinn, whom contemporary chronicles record as having fallen at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014.

In the early twentieth century the surname was recorded outside Ireland, as witnessed by the marriage of Henry Quyn and Margaret Hewe on 30 August 1609 at St. Dunstan, Stepney, London, and the christening of William Quin, son of Andrew and Hanna Quinn, on 2 January 1692 at St. Bride, Fleet Street. These entries show that Quinn immigrants were present in London long before the great Irish diaspora of the nineteenth century.

Through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, emigration from Ireland has dispersed the name to a number of countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In the United Kingdom, the surname remains most prevalent in the north of Ireland; it is also common in the Irish diaspora communities within England and Scotland, particularly in Liverpool and Glasgow, places that historically received large numbers of Irish immigrants.

Statistical surveys of contemporary telephone directories and electoral rolls confirm that the surname Quinn remains one of the most frequent surnames in Ireland. Its persistence is attributable to both its clear patronymic origin and the prominence of the clan in Irish history.

Typical given names associated with the Quinn surname

Male

• Anthony
• David
• James
• John
• Michael
• Patrick
• Paul
• Peter
• Stephen
• Thomas

Female

• Anne
• Catherine
• Elizabeth
• Kathleen
• Margaret
• Mary
• Nicola
• Patricia
• 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 Quinn in...

Braille

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Morse

--.-..-..-.-.

Semaphore

Surname type: From given name or forename

Origin: Celtic

Region of origin: British Isles

Country of origin: Ireland

Religion of origin: Christian

Language of origin: Gaelic

Famous people named Quinn

• Aidan Quinn - American actor
• Patricia Quinn - Northern Irish actress and singer
• Seán Quinn - Gaelic football player and businessman
• Zoë Quinn - American video game developer, programmer, writer, and artist
• Marc Quinn - Sculptor
• Ray Quinn - Singer-actor
• Jonny Quinn - Drummer
• Mick Quinn - Musician, songwriter and producer
• Micky Quinn - Football player
• Carolyn Quinn - Journalist
• Sinéad Quinn - Singer
• Wayne Quinn - Football player
• Paul Quinn - Football player
• John Quinn - Football player
• Jimmy Quinn - Scottish football player (1878 to 1945)
• James Quinn - Northern Ireland international football player born 1974
• Joanna Quinn - Film director
• Lawrie Quinn - Politician
• Rocco Quinn - Scottish football player
• Lucy Quinn - Football player

Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.

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