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Irish surname

Kinsella: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Cinnsealach (rarely Ó Cinnsealaigh) · 'belonging to Ui Cinnsealaigh', in Wexford (Woulfe); Ó Cinnsealaigh = 'descendant of Cinnsealach'

Woulfe (1923) gives Kinsella as an anglicised form of Cinnsealach, 'belonging to Ui Cinnsealaigh, in Wexford', the name of a Wexford family descended from Enna Cinnsealach, son of Diarmaid Mac Murchadha, King of Leinster at the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion. Like Caomhánach (Kavanagh), it was an agnomen that supplanted the real surname. In 1890 Ireland's birth indexes held 81 entries for Kinsella including spelling varieties (75 spelled Kinsella), 73 of them in Leinster.

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Coat of arms associated with the Kinsella surname
Irish formCinnsealach (rarely Ó Cinnsealaigh)
Meaning'belonging to Ui Cinnsealaigh', in Wexford (Woulfe); Ó Cinnsealaigh = 'descendant of Cinnsealach'
CountiesWexford, Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare
Other spellings7
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Kinsella crest gifts

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Origin of the Kinsella name

Woulfe: 'the name of a Wexford family who are descended from Enna Cinnsealach, son of Diarmaid Mac Murchadha, King of Leinster at the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion. Cinnsealach was, like Caomhánach, an agnomen which supplanted the real surname. Ó Cinnsealaigh is also, though rarely, used.'[1]

  1. 1580Four Masters: Kavanaghs, Kinsellaghs, Byrnes and Tooles join James Eustace.[7]
  2. 189081 entries including spelling varieties (75 spelled Kinsella); principally Dublin, Wexford, Wicklow, Kildare.[4][6]

Where in Ireland

Co. WexfordWoulfe's Wexford family of Ui Cinnsealaigh; a principal Kinsella county in 1890.[1][4]
Co. DublinFirst county named for Kinsella births in 1890.[4]
Co. WicklowAmong the four counties where Kinsella births were principally found in 1890.[4]
Co. KildareAmong the four counties where Kinsella births were principally found in 1890.[4]

Other spellings

Kinsellagh · Kinshela · Kinselagh · Kinshellagh · O Kynsillaghe · Kinchella · Kinsela[5][7]

The Kinsella coat of arms

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

Kinsella surname: questions

What does the surname Kinsella mean?

Woulfe gives Kinsella as a form of Cinnsealach, 'belonging to Ui Cinnsealaigh, in Wexford'. The rarer form Ó Cinnsealaigh means 'descendant of Cinnsealach'.[1][2]

Where in Ireland is the Kinsella name from?

Co. Wexford, according to Woulfe. In 1890 Kinsella births (81 entries including spelling varieties, 75 spelled Kinsella) were principally found in Dublin, Wexford, Wicklow and Kildare; 73 of the 81 entries were in Leinster.[1][4][6]

Are the Kinsellas related to the Kavanaghs?

Woulfe says both families descend from sons of Diarmaid Mac Murchadha, King of Leinster: the Kinsellas from Enna Cinnsealach and the Kavanaghs from Domhnall Caomhanach. He says Cinnsealach was, like Caomhánach, an agnomen which supplanted the real surname.[1][3]

Is Kinsellagh the same name as Kinsella?

Matheson (1901) lists Kinsellagh among the varieties of Kinsella, and O'Donovan's translation of the Four Masters uses 'Kinsellaghs' under 1580.[5][7]

Sources

  1. Cinnsealach — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/c/cinnsealach.php
  2. Ó Cinnsealaigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-cinnsealaigh.php
  3. Caomhánach — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/c/caomhanach.php
  4. Kinsella — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/kinsella.php
  5. Kinsella — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/1032.php
  6. Table Explanation — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/table-explanation.php
  7. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1580 (part 8) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005E/text008.html

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