Cuin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland-Alt
Ireland

Etymology of Cuin

What does the name Cuin mean?

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

Early Origins of the Cuin family

The surname Cuin 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 Cuin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cuin 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 Cuin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cuin Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name Cuin were encountered in the archives: O'Quinn, Quin, Quinn, Quine, MacQuin, MacQuinn, McQuin, McQuinn, MacCuin, Cuinn, Cuin and many more.

Early Notables of the Cuin 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 Cuin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cuin family

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Cuin family came to North America quite early: Ack Oquin, who arrived in Virginia in 1678; David Quinn, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1685; Daniel McQuinn, who sailed to Virginia in 1716; Knogher O'Quin, who came to America in 1737.