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Irish surname

Reynolds: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Raghnall; Mac Raghnaill (Woulfe's separate entries; also Raghnóid and Mag Raghnaill) · 'son of Reginald' (older Reginwald, Raginwald, a common Teutonic personal name)

Woulfe (1923) prints Reynolds in the forms lists of four separate entries: Raghnall, Raghnóid, Mac Raghnaill and Mag Raghnaill. He gives Raghnall as 'son of Reginald', the name of an old Co. Dublin family, and Mac Raghnaill as 'the name of a family of the same stock as the O'Farrell who were chiefs of Muinntear Eolais, in the south of Co. Leitrim'. No single origin applies to every bearer. In 1890 there were 113 Reynolds birth entries including spelling varieties (112 spelled Reynolds).

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Coat of arms associated with the Reynolds surname
Irish formRaghnall; Mac Raghnaill (Woulfe's separate entries; also Raghnóid and Mag Raghnaill)
Meaning'son of Reginald' (older Reginwald, Raginwald, a common Teutonic personal name)
CountiesLeitrim, Dublin, Antrim, Louth
Other spellings4
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Reynolds crest gifts

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Origin of the Reynolds name

Woulfe lists Reynolds under: Raghnall, 'an old Co. Dublin family, of record since the end of the 13th century'; Raghnóid, 'son of Reynaud' (a French form of Reginald); and Mac Raghnaill (with its variant Mag Raghnaill), 'a family of the same stock as the O'Farrell who were chiefs of Muinntear Eolais, in the south of Co. Leitrim'. No single origin applies to every bearer.[1][2][3][4]

  1. End of 13th centuryWoulfe: the old Co. Dublin Raghnall family is 'of record' from this time.[1]
  2. 1691Woulfe: Charles Reynolds of Dublin and John Reynolds of Blundelstown, Co. Dublin, were attainted.[1]
  3. 1890113 Reynolds birth entries including spelling varieties (112 spelled Reynolds).[5]

Where in Ireland

Co. LeitrimWoulfe: Mac Raghnaill, in south Leitrim; first county named by Matheson in 1890.[3][5]
Co. DublinWoulfe: Raghnall, an old Co. Dublin family; Dublin also named by Matheson in 1890.[1][5]
Co. AntrimNamed by Matheson among the counties in which principally found in 1890.[5]
Co. LouthNamed by Matheson among the counties in which principally found in 1890.[5]

Notable people named Reynolds

Thomas Reynolds1771-1836Born in Dublin; Webb calls him the principal informer against the United Irishmen in 1798; died in Paris.[6]

Other spellings

Reynold · Reynalds · Renolds · MacReynolds[1]

Scottish connection

Woulfe says of Mac Raghnaill, whose forms list includes Reynolds, that it is 'also a Scottish surname'.[3]

The Reynolds coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Reynolds surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Reynolds surname: questions

What does the surname Reynolds mean?

Woulfe gives Reynolds under Raghnall as 'son of Reginald', an older Reginwald or Raginwald, 'a common Teutonic personal name'. He also lists it under Raghnóid, 'son of Reynaud' (a French form of Reginald).[1][2]

Is Reynolds an Irish name?

Woulfe lists Reynolds under Raghnall, the name of an old Co. Dublin family 'of record since the end of the 13th century', and under Mac Raghnaill, 'a family of the same stock as the O'Farrell who were chiefs of Muinntear Eolais, in the south of Co. Leitrim'. No single origin applies to every bearer.[1][3]

Where in Ireland is the Reynolds name found?

Matheson gives the counties in which Reynolds was principally found in 1890 as Leitrim, Dublin, Antrim and Louth.[5]

Who were the Mac Raghnaill of Muintir Eolais?

Woulfe calls Mac Raghnaill 'the name of a family of the same stock as the O'Farrell who were chiefs of Muinntear Eolais, in the south of Co. Leitrim'. Four Masters: the annal for 1150 records that Conchobhar Mac Raghnaill, lord of Muintir-Eolais, was killed by Aedh, son of Tighearnan Ua Ruairc.[3][7]

Sources

  1. Raghnall — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/r/raghnall.php
  2. Raghnóid — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/r/raghnoid.php
  3. Mac Raghnaill — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macr/mac-raghnaill.php
  4. Mag Raghnaill — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/mag/mag-raghnaill.php
  5. Reynolds — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/reynolds.php
  6. Thomas Reynolds — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/ThomasReynolds.php
  7. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1150 (part 25) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005B/text025.html

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).