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Irish surname

Ring: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Rinn · 'descendant of Reann' (spear)

Woulfe (1923) gives Ring (also O Rinne, O Ring, Rinn, Rynn, Reen, Wren and other forms) as an anglicised form of Ó Rinn, 'descendant of Reann' (spear). He names two families: an old Cork family, 'a branch of the Ui Macaille, from whom the barony of Imokilly got its name'; and a Roscommon family, 'still represented in that county.' In 1890, 18 Ring birth entries were registered in Ireland, 12 of them in Cork.

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Coat of arms associated with the Ring surname
Irish formÓ Rinn
Meaning'descendant of Reann' (spear)
CountiesCork, Roscommon
Other spellings5

Origin of the Ring name

Woulfe: Ó Rinn is the name (1) of an old Cork family, a branch of the Ui Macaille, from whom the barony of Imokilly got its name; and (2) of a Roscommon family, 'still represented in that county.'[1]

  1. 1135Four Masters: 'Maelgorm Ua Rinn' among the men of Desmond who fell at Cluain-caein-Modimog.[3]
  2. 189018 Ring birth entries registered in Ireland; 12 of these in Cork.[2]

Where in Ireland

Co. CorkBranch of the Ui Macaille, 'from whom the barony of Imokilly got its name' (Woulfe); 12 of the 1890 births (Matheson).[1][2]
Co. RoscommonA separate Ó Rinn family, 'still represented in that county' (Woulfe).[1]

Other spellings

O Rinne · Rinn · Rynn · Reen · Wren[1]

The Ring coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Ring 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.

Ring crest gifts

Clan Ring Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapGO36 Classic Cap - Ring Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Ring Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Oring Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapSM24 Classic Cap - Oring Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Oring Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Ring Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap GI60 Ring Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Ring Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00

Ring surname: questions

What does the surname Ring mean?

Woulfe gives Ring as a form of Ó Rinn, 'descendant of Reann' (spear).[1]

Where in Ireland does the Ring surname come from?

Woulfe names an old Cork family, 'a branch of the Ui Macaille, from whom the barony of Imokilly got its name', and a separate Roscommon family 'still represented in that county'; Matheson's 1890 figures show 12 of the 18 Ring births were in Cork.[1][2]

Is there a historical record of the Ó Rinn family?

The Annals of the Four Masters list 'Maelgorm Ua Rinn' among the men of Desmond who fell by those of Thomond at the causeway of Cluain-caein-Modimog in 1135.[3]

Is Ring an Irish name or an English name?

The sources used for this hub describe Ring only as an anglicised form of the Irish Ó Rinn; they do not address any separate English origin of the spelling Ring, so nothing further is claimed here.[1]

Sources

  1. Ó Rinn — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/or/o-rinn.php
  2. Ring — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/ring.php
  3. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), M1135 — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005B/text024.html

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