Home › Irish Surnames › Cullen

Irish surname

Cullen: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Cuileáin; Ó Cuilinn; Mac Cuilinn; Ó Cuileamhain (and others) · Several Irish names: Ó Cuileáin, 'descendant of Cuileán' (whelp); Ó Cuilinn, 'descendant of Cuileann' (holly); Mac Cuilinn, 'son of Cuileann' (holly)

Woulfe (1923) lists Cullen as an anglicised form of several different Irish surnames, among them Ó Cuileáin ('descendant of Cuileán', whelp), Ó Cuilinn and Mac Cuilinn (from Cuileann, holly) and Ó Cuileamhain, a South Leinster family. In Matheson's 1890 survey Cullen was the 84th commonest surname in Ireland, with about 9,000 people, found chiefly in Dublin and Wexford.

Shop Cullen crest giftsRead the history
Coat of arms associated with the Cullen surname
Irish formÓ Cuileáin; Ó Cuilinn; Mac Cuilinn; Ó Cuileamhain (and others)
MeaningSeveral Irish names: Ó Cuileáin, 'descendant of Cuileán' (whelp); Ó Cuilinn, 'descendant of Cuileann' (holly); Mac Cuilinn, 'son of Cuileann' (holly)
CountiesDublin, Wexford, Galway, Tyrone
Other spellings5

Origin of the Cullen name

Woulfe gives no single origin. Ó Cuileáin was borne by distinct families in Galway (a branch of the Ui Maine), Tyrone (erenaghs of Clogher), Tipperary and Cork (of the Corca Laoighdhe). Ó Cuileamhain was a South Leinster family; Mac Cuilinn was in use in Monaghan and Louth; Mac Coilín was very common in Tyrconnell, Down and Antrim at the end of the 16th century.[1][2][3][4]

  1. End of the 16th centuryMac Coilín (one source of Cullen) very common in Tyrconnell, Down and Antrim.[4]
  2. 1690'O CULLEN' appears in Sir James Terry's list of Irish septs.[10]
  3. 1803Paul Cullen born at Prospect, Co. Kildare, 29 April.[11]
  4. 1852Paul Cullen transferred to the See of Dublin, 1 May.[11]
  5. 1867Cullen made cardinal, the first Irish bishop given that dignity.[11]
  6. 1890203 Cullen births registered (incl. varieties), chiefly in Dublin and Wexford.[8]

Where in Ireland

Co. DublinFirst county named for Cullen births in 1890; 62 Cullen entries for Dublin in the 1890 Births Index.[8][9]
Co. WexfordPrincipal Cullen county in 1890 with Dublin; 34 Cullen entries for Wexford in the 1890 Births Index.[8][9]
Co. GalwayHome of an Ó Cuileáin family, a branch of the Ui Maine.[1]
Co. TyroneThe Ui Cuileáin of Tyrone were erenaghs of Clogher.[1]
Co. CorkÓ Cuileáin family of the Corca Laoighdhe; Ó Cuilín is its South Cork variant.[1][5]
Co. MonaghanMac Cuilinn, anglicised Cullen, was in use in Monaghan and Louth.[3]

Notable people named Cullen

Paul Cullen1803–1878Archbishop of Armagh, then of Dublin; in 1867 the first Irish bishop made a cardinal.[11]

Other spellings

Cullane · Cullan · Cullin · Quillen · MacCullen[1]

The Cullen coat of arms

The name appears as 'O CULLEN' in the 'List of Names of Irish Septs as given in the Book of Arms, compiled by Sir James Terry, Athlone Herald (1690)', as printed by Matheson. The list gives sept names only; it does not describe any arms, and it does not mean that everyone named Cullen is entitled to a coat of arms.[10]

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

Cullen crest gifts

Clan Ocullen Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap BG94 Ocullen Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Ocullen Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap$33.45Clan Ocullen Coat Of Arms Wicklowarms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap US86 Ocullen Coat Of Arms Wicklowarms Irish Cap Ocullen Coat Of Arms Wicklowarms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap$33.45Clan Ocullen Coat Of Arms Wicklowarms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapUW74 Classic Cap - Ocullen Coat Of Arms Wicklowarms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Ocullen Coat Of Arms Wicklowarms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap$42.45Clan Ocullen Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapXB62 Classic Cap - Ocullen Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Ocullen Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap$42.45Clan Cullen Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapXY42 Classic Cap - Cullen Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Cullen Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap$42.45Clan Cullen Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap WC67 Cullen Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Cullen Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap$33.45

Cullen surname: questions

What does the surname Cullen mean?

It depends on the family. Woulfe gives Cullen as a form of Ó Cuileáin, 'descendant of Cuileán' (whelp), and of Ó Cuilinn and Mac Cuilinn, from Cuileann (holly), among other Irish names.[1][6][3]

Is Cullen an Irish name?

Woulfe lists Cullen as an anglicised form of several Irish surnames, including Ó Cuileáin, Ó Cuilinn, Ó Cuilín, Ó Cuileamhain, Mac Cuilinn and Mac Coilín.[1][6][5][2][3][4]

Where in Ireland is the Cullen name from?

In 1890 Cullen births were found chiefly in Dublin and Wexford. Woulfe names Ó Cuileáin families in Galway, Tyrone, Tipperary and Cork and an Ó Cuileamhain family in South Leinster, and says Mac Cuilinn was in use in Monaghan and Louth.[8][1][2][3]

How common is the surname Cullen in Ireland?

In Matheson's table for 1890 Cullen was 84th among the principal surnames of Ireland, with an estimated 9,000 people.[7]

Was Cardinal Cullen from an old Cullen family?

Woulfe says that, according to O'Curry, the late Cardinal Cullen belonged to the Ó Cuileamhain family of South Leinster.[2]

Sources

  1. Ó Cuileáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-cuileain.php
  2. Ó Cuileamhain — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-cuileamhain.php
  3. Mac Cuilinn — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macc/mac-cuilinn.php
  4. Mac Coilín — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macc/mac-coilin.php
  5. Ó Cuilín — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-cuilin.php
  6. Ó Cuilinn — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-cuilinn.php
  7. Principal Surnames in Ireland (1890) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/principal-surnames-ireland.php
  8. Cullen — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/cullen.php
  9. Registration Province of Leinster (leading surnames by county, Births Index 1890) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/leinster-names.php
  10. List of Names of Irish Septs (Terry, 1690) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/irish-septs.php
  11. Paul Cullen — Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), reproduced, Catholic Answers (catholic.com). catholic.com/encyclopedia/paul-cullen

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