Show ContentsLynchs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Lynchs

What does the name Lynchs mean?

The Anglo-Norman Conquest of Ireland lead by Strongbow introduced the first non-Gaelic elements into Irish nomenclature. These Anglo-Normans brought some traditions to Ireland that were not readily found within Gaelic system of hereditary surnames. One of the best examples of this is the local surname. Local surnames, such as Lynchs, were taken from the name of a place or a geographical feature where the person lived, held land, or was born. These surnames were very common in England, but were almost non-existent within Ireland previous to the conquest. The earliest surnames of this type came from Normandy, but as the Normans moved, they often created names in reference to where they actually resided. Therefore, some settlers eventually took names from Irish places. Originally, these place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. This type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname, if the place name began with a vowel, or was eliminated entirely. The Lynchs family originally lived in some location which is no longer known. The original form of the Norman surname Lynchs was de Lench. However, there is also a native Irish family named Lynchs. This surname, which was originally Ó Loingsigh, is derived from the Gaelic word loingseach, which means mariner.

Early Origins of the Lynchs family

The surname Lynchs was first found in County Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where they were granted lands by Strongbow after the English Norman invasion of Ireland in 1172.

Early History of the Lynchs family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lynchs research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1320, 1488, 1489, 1490, 1507, 1611, 1623, 1669, 1676, 1682, 1684, 1691 and 1713 are included under the topic Early Lynchs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lynchs Spelling Variations

Medieval scribes and church officials spelt names simply the way they sounded, which explains the various name spelling variations of the name Lynchs that were encountered when researching that surname. The many spelling variations included: Lynch, Linch, O'Lynch and others.

Early Notables of the Lynchs family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Geoffrey (Geffere) Lynch (fl. 1488-1489), 4th Mayor of Galway; John Lynch fitz John, fifth Mayor of Galway (1489-1490); Robuck Lynch, sixth Mayor of Galway (1489-1490); Arthur Lynch (Mayor), 22nd Mayor of Galway, (died 1507), a member of one of The...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lynchs Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Lynchs family

During the middle of the 19th century, Irish families often experienced extreme poverty and racial discrimination in their own homeland under English rule. Record numbers died of disease and starvation and many others, deciding against such a fate, boarded ships bound for North America. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Unfortunately, many of those Irish that arrived in Canada or the United States still experienced economic and racial discrimination. Although often maligned, these Irish people were essential to the rapid development of these countries because they provided the cheap labor required for the many canals, roads, railways, and other projects required for strong national infrastructures. Eventually the Irish went on to make contributions in the less backbreaking and more intellectual arenas of commerce, education, and the arts. Research early immigration and passenger lists revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Lynchs: Francis Lynch, who settled in Georgia in 1733; Jeremiah Lynch settled in Virginia in 1638; Patrick Lynch settled at Prescott Ontario in 1825 with his wife and seven children.



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