surnames.ie

Irish surname · 21st most common in 1911

Quinn

Also spelt OQuinn

Quinn is the English form of Ó Cuinn, 'descendant of Conn', an old personal name associated with sense or reason. Several unrelated families bore it, notably a Dál gCais sept around Inchiquin in Clare, a Longford sept related to the O'Farrells, and families in Tyrone, Antrim, Donegal and Mayo.

Irish Ó CuinnIrish Mac CuinnIrish Ó Coinne
1901 census
15,938
#21 · 36 per 10,000
1911 census
15,969
#21 · 36 per 10,000
1926 census
10,002
#39 · 34 per 10,000
Most numerous
Tyrone
Highest share: Tyrone

Language & meaning

Meaning & Irish forms

Gaelic Gaelic Irish: several unrelated septs called Ó Cuinn, with Mac Cuinn and Ó Coinne contributing a smaller share.[1][2]

Ó Cuinn
“descendant of Conn”[1][2]
The usual source of Quinn and Quin. Woulfe notes it was pronounced like 'O'Coyne' in the south, which is why Coyne is sometimes an English form.
Mac Cuinn
“son of Conn”[3][2]
A related surname that Woulfe records as MacQuinn, MacQuin, MacGuinn and Quinn. He does not attach it to a particular family.
Ó Coinne
“descendant of Coinne”[4]
A separate Ulster name, first seated in Co. Down and later near Strabane, occasionally rendered Quin.

The name is built on the personal name Conn, usually explained as “sense, reason, intelligence; also 'head' and 'a freeman'”. Woulfe's glosses; Conn was an ancient and common Irish personal name.[1][3]

Pronunciation

Quinn: KWIN

Place

Where the Quinns lived

How common the name was in each county, as a share of the population, in the three surviving full censuses of Ireland. Use the buttons to compare years.

Donegal: 44.2 per 10,000 (746 people) Waterford: 27 per 10,000 (222 people) Dublin: 31.7 per 10,000 (1,524 people) Kilkenny: 36.2 per 10,000 (272 people) Carlow: 12.9 per 10,000 (47 people) Limerick: 23.1 per 10,000 (331 people) Louth: 43.7 per 10,000 (275 people) Tipperary: 34.8 per 10,000 (531 people) Roscommon: 54.4 per 10,000 (511 people) Meath: 26.2 per 10,000 (171 people) Wicklow: 42.9 per 10,000 (261 people) Cavan: 13.8 per 10,000 (126 people) Cork: 9.6 per 10,000 (378 people) Clare: 35.3 per 10,000 (369 people) Galway: 58.2 per 10,000 (1,062 people) Mayo: 41.1 per 10,000 (790 people) Sligo: 44 per 10,000 (348 people) Leitrim: 36.6 per 10,000 (231 people) Offaly: 53 per 10,000 (302 people) Laois: 35.1 per 10,000 (192 people) Kildare: 44 per 10,000 (294 people) Kerry: 7.4 per 10,000 (118 people) Monaghan: 28.8 per 10,000 (206 people) Wexford: 17.8 per 10,000 (182 people) Longford: 94.5 per 10,000 (414 people) Westmeath: 34.6 per 10,000 (208 people) Tyrone: 148.1 per 10,000 (2,116 people) Antrim: 23.9 per 10,000 (1,140 people) Armagh: 70.2 per 10,000 (840 people) Fermanagh: 30.6 per 10,000 (186 people) Londonderry: 28.3 per 10,000 (395 people) Down: 38.6 per 10,000 (1,181 people)
fewerup to 148 per 10,000

Share of each county's census population. 1926 covers the 26 counties of the Irish Free State only.

Highest concentration · 1911

Tyrone

148 per 10,000

2,116 Quinns · 4.07× the national share

Highest share, 1911

  1. Tyrone 148
  2. Longford 95
  3. Armagh 70
  4. Galway 58
  5. Roscommon 54
  6. Offaly 53
  7. Donegal 44
  8. Sligo 44

Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.

County figures as a table
County190119111926Per 10k 1901Per 10k 1911Per 10k 1926
Antrim1,0671,140—2324—
Armagh919840—7470—
Carlow414747111314
Cavan166126140171417
Clare392369385353541
Cork379378376101010
Donegal736746744434449
Down1,1721,181—4139—
Dublin1,3421,5241,684313234
Fermanagh174186—2731—
Galway1,2031,0621,037635861
Kerry100118100677
Kildare258294243424442
Kilkenny283272259383637
Laois203192185363536
Leitrim248231256363745
Limerick262331428182331
Londonderry385395—2728—
Longford447414350969588
Louth313275290484446
Mayo790790734404143
Meath173171168252627
Monaghan208206173282927
Offaly300302247505347
Roscommon598511439605453
Sligo354348354444450
Tipperary546531546343539
Tyrone1,9572,116—130148—
Waterford230222180262723
Westmeath248208205403536
Wexford189182185181819
Wicklow255261247434343

Local strongholds in 1911

District Electoral Divisions (300+ residents) where Quinns made up the largest share of the population. In Cullyhanna, Co. Armagh, about one resident in 8 was a Quinn.

DEDCountyQuinnsShare
CullyhannaArmagh85 13.0%
BallynasollusTyrone72 9.9%
ClooneeLongford89 9.4%
CamlyArmagh42 8.9%
GolandDonegal33 8.9%
MunterevlinTyrone210 8.5%
AltmoreTyrone95 7.8%
MountjoyTyrone98 7.4%

Origins

Septs & territories

Many Irish surnames were adopted independently by unrelated families. These are the distinct Quinn lineages described in the sources.

A surname can point you towards a place. On its own, it cannot establish a pedigree.

Ó Cuinn of Thomond (Muintir Ifearnáin)

Muintir Ifearnáin, around Corofin and Inchiquin · Clare

A Dál gCais sept, originally seated at Inchiquin, whose territory surrounded Corofin. Woulfe traces them to Conn, lord of Muintir Ifearnáin in the late 10th century; Wikipedia names their ancestor as Niall Ó Cuinn, killed at Clontarf in 1014. Burke says the O'Briens later drove the chief from Inchiquin. Woulfe and Burke count the Earls of Dunraven among its descendants.[1][2][5]

Ó Cuinn of Annaly (Muintir Giollagáin)

Muintir Giollagáin, covering the baronies of Ardagh, Moydow and Shrule · Longford

A branch of the Conmaicne, of the same stock as the O'Farrells, and chiefs of Muintir Giollagáin until the O'Farrells displaced them in the 14th century. Burke places the chief's residence at Rathcline. Woulfe found Quin a very common name in Longford.[1][5][2]

Ó Cuinn of Tyrone

An Chraobh (Stewartstown) · Tyrone

A family at An Chraobh, now Stewartstown, related to the O'Neill kings of Tír Eoghain, whom they served as hereditary quartermasters.[2]

Ó Cuinn of Antrim

Magh Lughadh and Síol Cathasaigh · Antrim

Chiefs of Magh Lughadh and Síol Cathasaigh. Woulfe cites the annals' praise of Conghalach Ó Cuinn of this family, killed by the English in 1218.[1]

Ó Cuinn of Magh Itha

Magh Itha, in the barony of Raphoe · Donegal

A family of Magh Itha in the barony of Raphoe, which Woulfe found numerous across west Ulster.[1][2]

Ó Cuinn of Clann Cuain

Clann Cuain, near Castlebar · Mayo

A branch of the Uí Fiachrach and chiefs of Clann Cuain. Around the mid-12th century they switched allegiance to the Síol Muireadhaigh and paid tribute to MacDermot of Moylurg.[1][2]

The name over time

History

Many families named after Conn

Conn was one of the oldest and most popular Irish personal names, so it is no surprise that several unrelated families came to be called Ó Cuinn. Woulfe lists five well-known septs, in Clare, Longford, Antrim, Donegal and Mayo, and Wikipedia adds a sixth in Tyrone. Today it is among the twenty most common surnames in Ireland; in 1890 it was plentiful in Dublin as well as in Tyrone, Antrim and Roscommon. A family's home county remains the best guide to which sept it came from.[1][2]

The Quins of Thomond

The Clare family belonged to the Dál gCais and took their clan name, Muintir Ifearnáin, from an ancestor called Ifearnán. Their lands lay around Corofin, with the chief's seat at Inchiquin, a name that survives in the barony and in Inchiquin Lough. Woulfe traces them to Conn, lord of Muintir Ifearnáin in the late 10th century, while Wikipedia names Niall Ó Cuinn, who died at Clontarf in 1014. Burke, citing the Annals of the Four Masters, records that a daughter of O'Quin, styled Lady of Munster, died on pilgrimage at Derry in 1188. The O'Briens later forced the chief out of Inchiquin.[1][2][5][6]

Annaly and the O'Farrells

In Co. Longford the Ó Cuinn family were chiefs of Muintir Giollagáin, a large territory that Burke equates with the baronies of Ardagh, Moydow and Shrule. They were Conmaicne, of the same stock as the O'Farrells, and Burke places their chief's residence at Rathcline. In the 14th century the O'Farrells displaced them, but the name stayed: Woulfe called Quin very common in Longford. A Longford line later reached Bordeaux, and Burke records arms allowed in 1775 to Patrick O'Quin of Galway, son of John Valentine O'Quin of Bordeaux and a descendant of Thomas O'Quin of Longford, recorded in 1387.[1][5]

The northern and western Quinns

Ulster had several Quinn families. In Tyrone a family at An Chraobh, now Stewartstown, were kin to the O'Neill kings of Tír Eoghain and served them as hereditary quartermasters. In Antrim the Ó Cuinn chiefs of Magh Lughadh and Síol Cathasaigh lost a leader, Conghalach, to the English in 1218. Another family held Magh Itha in the barony of Raphoe, Co. Donegal. In Mayo the Ó Cuinn chiefs of Clann Cuain, near Castlebar, moved from the Uí Fiachrach into the orbit of the Síol Muireadhaigh in the 12th century and became tributaries of MacDermot of Moylurg.[2][1]

The Earls of Dunraven

The best-known landed family of the name were the Quins of Adare in Co. Limerick, whom Woulfe and Burke count as descendants of the Thomond sept. A baronetcy of Adare was created for them in 1781, and Valentine Quin became Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl in 1822. The family later took the name Wyndham-Quin. Their seat for generations was Adare Manor, which they sold in 1982; it is now a hotel. The earldom became extinct when the 7th Earl died in 2011.[7][1][5][8]

Places linked to the name

  • Inchiquin, Co. Clare — Original seat of the Thomond Quins, now the name of a barony and a lough near Corofin.[1][5][6]
  • Corofin, Co. Clare — Centre of Muintir Ifearnáin, the territory of the Thomond Quins.[1][5]
  • Rathcline, Co. Longford — Residence of the chief of the Longford Ó Cuinn sept, according to Burke.[5]
  • Stewartstown (An Chraobh), Co. Tyrone — Home of the Quinns who were hereditary quartermasters to the O'Neills.[2]
  • Adare Manor, Co. Limerick — Former seat of the Wyndham-Quin Earls of Dunraven, sold in 1982.[7][8]

Everyday lives

The Quinns in the census

Who the Quinns were in the 1901 and 1911 censuses (and 1926 where recorded), set against everyone in Ireland in the same census.

Quinns All of Ireland Ireland's figure marked on the Quinn bar

Religion, 1911

Catholic +18.4 points vs Ireland
Quinns 92.0%
All of Ireland 73.6%
Church of Ireland −8.7 points vs Ireland
Quinns 4.5%
All of Ireland 13.2%
Presbyterian −7.6 points vs Ireland
Quinns 2.5%
All of Ireland 10.1%
Methodist & other −2.2 points vs Ireland
Quinns 0.9%
All of Ireland 3.1%

Irish language

Spoke Irish, 1901 about the same as Ireland
Quinns 15.5%
All of Ireland 15.3%
Spoke Irish, 1911 about the same as Ireland
Quinns 13.6%
All of Ireland 13.5%
Spoke Irish, 1926 · 26 counties about the same as Ireland
Quinns 13.2%
All of Ireland 13.5%

129 Quinns spoke Irish only in 1901.

Reading & writing

Could read and write, 1901 · aged 15+ −5.6 points vs Ireland
Quinns 74.8%
All of Ireland 80.4%
Could read and write, 1911 · aged 15+ −4.6 points vs Ireland
Quinns 81.2%
All of Ireland 85.8%

Family life, 1911

Household size · 3,439 households lower than Ireland
Quinns 4.57
All of Ireland 4.83
Children born per mother · women 45–59 about the same as Ireland
Quinns 6.44
All of Ireland 6.46
Children still living about the same as Ireland
Quinns 80.2%
All of Ireland 79.8%

Commonest occupations

Adults aged 15+, 1901 and 1911 combined.

Farmer3,434
Farmer's son1,533
Farmer's daughter809
General labourer508
Agricultural labourer500
Farm servant449
Labourer408
Farm labourer367
Seamstress313
House keeper293

Born outside Ireland

2.3% of Quinns in 1911 gave a birthplace outside Ireland.

England223
Scotland80
United States42
India7
Australia & NZ2
Wales2

Median age: 24 in 1901, 26 in 1911.

Given names

First names among the Quinns

Men and boys

  1. John3,009
  2. Patrick2,569
  3. James2,135
  4. Michael1,642
  5. Thomas1,469
  6. William827
  7. Joseph557
  8. Peter534
  9. Edward504
  10. Francis368

Women and girls

  1. Mary3,313
  2. Bridget1,702
  3. Margaret1,217
  4. Catherine882
  5. Annie876
  6. Ellen858
  7. Anne615
  8. Kate563
  9. Elizabeth537
  10. Maggie475

All three censuses combined. Top five in 1926: John, Patrick, James, Michael, Thomas; Mary, Bridget, Margaret, Annie, Ellen.

Spellings

Spellings

This page combines the spellings below, which census enumerators and families used for the same name.

Spelling190119111926Records
Quinn15,93815,96810,001Search
OQuinn011Search

Related forms

  • Quin — The single-n spelling. Wikipedia notes Quin is sometimes associated with Protestant families and Quinn with Catholic ones, but both come from Ó Cuinn.[2][1]
  • O'Quinn, O'Quin — Forms that keep the Ó prefix.[1][5]
  • MacQuinn, MacQuin, MacGuinn — From Mac Cuinn, 'son of Conn'.[3]
  • Coyne — Woulfe explains that Ó Cuinn sounded like 'O'Coyne' in the south, giving this form. Most Coynes, however, have a different origin.[1]
  • Queen — An early English rendering of Ó Cuinn recorded by Woulfe.[1]
  • Quinny, Cunny — From Ó Coinne, a separate Ulster surname.[4]

Diaspora

The Quinns abroad

Emigration carried the name worldwide. In the 2010 United States census:

SpellingPeopleUS rank
Quinn76,986422nd
OQuinn5,4396284th

Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 surname file (public domain).

Heraldry

Is there a Quinn coat of arms?

Arms were granted to particular families, so there is no single Quinn crest. Burke's General Armory records arms for the O'Quins of Muintir Ifearnáin in Clare: on red, a hand grasping a sword between two silver crescents and two gold serpents, with a boar's head crest. The Earls of Dunraven quartered these with Wyndham arms under the motto 'Quae sursum volo videre'. Burke gives the Longford O'Quins different arms, a silver pegasus on green beneath a gold chief.[5]

Websites selling a single “Quinn family crest” are selling a design, not an inheritance. Arms in Ireland belonged to individuals and their heirs, and the Chief Herald of Ireland still grants arms that way today.

People

Notable people named Quinn

  • James Quin (1693–1766)
    18th-century English stage actor of Irish descent.
  • Windham Wyndham-Quin, 4th Earl of Dunraven (1841–1926)
    Anglo-Irish landowner, journalist, soldier, sportsman and Conservative politician.
  • Edel Quinn (1907–1944)
    Irish lay missionary and Legion of Mary envoy to East Africa, declared Venerable by the Catholic Church.
  • Anthony Quinn (1915–2001)
    Mexican-American actor who won two Academy Awards.
  • Feargal Quinn (1936–2019)
    Founder of the Superquinn supermarket chain and a senator from 1993 to 2016.
  • Ruairi Quinn (born 1946)
    Labour Party leader, Minister for Finance and later Minister for Education.
  • Aidan Quinn (born 1959)
    Irish-American actor known for Desperately Seeking Susan and Legends of the Fall.
  • Marc Quinn (born 1964)
    British artist known for sculpture made from unusual materials, including his own blood.
  • Niall Quinn (born 1966)
    Irish international footballer, later a businessman and television pundit.
  • Glenn Quinn (1970–2002)
    Irish actor known for Roseanne and Angel.

Questions

Questions about the Quinn name

Is Quinn an Irish surname?

Yes. Quinn comes from the Gaelic Ó Cuinn, 'descendant of Conn', and is among the twenty most common surnames in Ireland. Several unrelated families bore it, with notable septs in Clare, Longford, Tyrone, Antrim, Donegal and Mayo. It is a Gaelic name, not one brought by later settlers.[1][2]

What is Quinn in Irish?

Quinn in Irish is Ó Cuinn, meaning 'descendant of Conn'. A smaller number of families descend from Mac Cuinn, 'son of Conn', which gives MacQuinn and sometimes plain Quinn. Woulfe also notes Ó Coinne, a separate Ulster name occasionally anglicised Quin.[1][3]

What does the name Quinn mean?

It means 'descendant of Conn'. Woulfe glosses the personal name Conn as 'sense, reason, intelligence', and also gives 'head' and 'a freeman'. Because Conn was such a common name, families in many parts of Ireland independently took surnames from it.[1]

Is there a difference between Quinn and Quin?

Both spellings come from the same Gaelic name, Ó Cuinn. Wikipedia notes that in Ireland the single-n Quin has sometimes been associated with Protestant families and Quinn with Catholic ones, but that is a loose pattern rather than a rule. The Earls of Dunraven, for example, used Quin.[2][7]

Is there a Quinn family crest or coat of arms?

There is no single crest for everyone named Quinn. Burke's General Armory records arms for the O'Quins of Muintir Ifearnáin in Clare, a hand grasping a sword between crescents and serpents, and different arms for the O'Quins of Longford. The Earls of Dunraven used the motto 'Quae sursum volo videre'. Each belonged to a particular family.[5]

Are Quinn and Coyne related?

Occasionally. Woulfe explains that in the south of Ireland Ó Cuinn was pronounced like 'O'Coyne', so some Quinn families came to be recorded as Coyne. Most Coynes, though, belong to a different Gaelic surname, so the link applies only to particular families.[1]

Where in Ireland is the Quinn surname most common?

In the 1911 census the largest numbers of Quinns lived in Tyrone (2,116), Dublin (1,524), Down (1,181). Relative to population, the name was most concentrated in Tyrone (148 per 10,000), Longford (95 per 10,000), Armagh (70 per 10,000).

How common was the Quinn surname in Ireland?

15,969 people were recorded as Quinn or OQuinn in the 1911 census of Ireland, making it the 21st most common surname. That is roughly 0.4% of the population, or 1 person in 275.

Looking for a Quinn ancestor?

Search every Quinn household in the 1901, 1911 and 1926 censuses, with free images of the original forms.

Search records on irishcensus.com

Evidence

Sources

  1. Patrick Woulfe, Ó Cuinn, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
  2. Wikipedia, Quinn (surname) (2026)
  3. Patrick Woulfe, Mac Cuinn, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
  4. Patrick Woulfe, Ó Coinne, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
  5. Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales (1884). Entries 'O'Quin'.
  6. Wikipedia, Inchiquin (2026)
  7. Wikipedia, Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl (2026)
  8. Wikipedia, Adare Manor (2026)
  9. Census of Ireland 1901 and 1911, and Census of Population 1926, National Archives of Ireland. Counts compiled by surnames.ie from the irishcensus.com transcription (dataset 20260831130351). 1926 data © National Archives of Ireland, CC BY 4.0.
  10. Irish forms cross-checked against Gaois surname data (Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge, DCU).

How we compile these figures: methodology.