Show ContentsGuin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Guin

What does the name Guin mean?

The Irish name Guin was originally written in a Gaelic form as Ó Cuinn, which means descendant of Conn.

Early Origins of the Guin family

The surname Guin was first found in county Longford (Irish: An Longfort) traditionally known as Annaly or Teffia, and situated in the Irish Midlands, in Northwest Leinster where they were Lords of Muintir Gillagain. The O'Quinns and MacQuinns (and all of the spelling variables derived from these) were descended from Conn, who in turn was descended from the Princes of Annaly.

Early History of the Guin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Guin research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1014, 1252, 1279, 1281, 1522, 1551, 1575, 1595, 1634, 1645, 1676, 1693, 1726 and 1766 are included under the topic Early Guin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guin Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, guided scribes and church officials when recording names during the Middle Ages. This practice often resulted in one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Guin are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include O'Quinn, Quin, Quinn, Quine, MacQuin, MacQuinn, McQuin, McQuinn, MacCuin, Cuinn, Cuin and many more.

Early Notables of the Guin family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Thomas O'Quinn, Bishop of Clonmacnois (1252-1279), as well as John Quinn, Bishop of Limerick (1522-1551), as well as Thady Quin (1645-1726) of Adare of the Thomond O'Quins, who was the grandfather of the first Earl of Dunraven.Walter Quin (c. 1575-1634), was an Irish poet and preceptor of Charles I. Born in Dublin, he travelled abroad and became a cultivated writer in English, French, Italian, and...
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Guin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guin Ranking

In the United States, the name Guin is the 10,495th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Guin is ranked the 5,787th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2


Guin migration to the United States +

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Guin or a variant listed above:

Guin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Ann Guin, aged 13, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1774 3
  • Christian Guin, aged 13, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1774 3
  • John Guin, aged 4, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1774 3
Guin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Guin, who arrived in America in 1806 3
  • Arth Guin, who landed in America in 1806 3
  • Pablo Guin, aged 22, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1836 3
  • James Guin, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1838 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Guin (post 1700) +

  • Junius Foy Guin Jr. (1924-2016), American jurist, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama (1989-2016)
  • Wyman Woods Guin (1915-1989), American pharmacologist and advertising executive, but best known as an author of science fiction
  • Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (b. 1929), American author of novels, children's books, and short stories
  • Russell L. Guin, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Illinois 18th District, 1938; Member of Illinois Republican State Central Committee, 1943 4
  • Ken Guin, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 1996 4


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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