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Irish surname

Wynne: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

de Bhuinn; Ó Gaoithín; Ó Maolghaoithe; Mac Gaoithe (Woulfe's separate entries) · de Bhuinn: Woulfe gives Welsh 'gwyn', i.e., white, fair; Ó Maolghaoithe: 'descendant of Maolghaoithe' (chief of the wind)

Woulfe (1923) prints Wynne under four separate entries: de Bhuinn (with the Welsh word 'gwyn', white, fair) and three Irish-language names, Ó Gaoithín, Ó Maolghaoithe and Mac Gaoithe, for which he gives Wynne as an English rendering. No single origin applies to every bearer. In 1890 there were 47 Wynne birth entries including spelling varieties.

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Coat of arms associated with the Wynne surname
Irish formde Bhuinn; Ó Gaoithín; Ó Maolghaoithe; Mac Gaoithe (Woulfe's separate entries)
Meaningde Bhuinn: Woulfe gives Welsh 'gwyn', i.e., white, fair; Ó Maolghaoithe: 'descendant of Maolghaoithe' (chief of the wind)
CountiesDublin, Sligo, Donegal
Other spellings1
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Wynne crest gifts

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Origin of the Wynne name

Woulfe lists Wynne under de Bhuinn (Welsh 'gwyn', white, fair); under Ó Gaoithín ('by translation'; a Connacht family 'disguised as Wynnes and Wyndhams'); under Ó Maolghaoithe (a Tirconnell family; in Connacht Wynne 'for Wind'); and under Mac Gaoithe ('by translation'). No single origin applies to every bearer.[1][2][3][4]

  1. 16th centuryWoulfe: Mac Gaoithe, a name rendered Wynne by translation, was a Donegal surname.[4]
  2. 189047 Wynne birth entries including spelling varieties (46 spelled Wynne): Leinster 18, Connaught 17.[5]

Where in Ireland

Co. DublinNamed first by Matheson among the counties in which principally found in 1890.[5]
Co. SligoNamed by Matheson among the counties in which principally found in 1890.[5]
Co. DonegalWoulfe: Ó Maolghaoithe seated in the parish of Clondavaddock; Mac Gaoithe a Donegal surname in the 16th century.[3][4]

Other spellings

Winn[1]

The Wynne coat of arms

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

Wynne surname: questions

What does the surname Wynne mean?

Woulfe gives Wynne and Winn under de Bhuinn with the Welsh word 'gwyn', white, fair. For an Irish name rendered Wynne he gives Ó Maolghaoithe as 'descendant of Maolghaoithe' (chief of the wind), with Wynne 'for Wind'.[1][3]

Is Wynne an Irish name?

Woulfe prints Wynne under a Welsh-word entry (de Bhuinn) and also, 'by translation', under the Irish-language names Ó Gaoithín and Mac Gaoithe, and under Ó Maolghaoithe. No single origin applies to every bearer.[1][2][3][4]

Where in Ireland is the name Wynne found?

Matheson gives the counties in which Wynne was principally found in 1890 as Dublin and Sligo. Woulfe says the Connacht Ó Gaoithín family are numerous in that province but sometimes disguised as Wynnes and Wyndhams.[5][2]

Sources

  1. de Bhuinn — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/d/de-bhuinn.php
  2. Ó Gaoithín — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/og/o-gaoithin.php
  3. Ó Maolghaoithe — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/om/o-maolghaoithe.php
  4. Mac Gaoithe — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macg/mac-gaoithe.php
  5. Wynne — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/wynne.php

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