Gunn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The story of the Gunn family stretches back through time to the Viking settlers who populated the rugged shores of Scotland in the Medieval era. The name Gunn was derived from Gunni, a descendant of Einar and of the great peace Kings of Uppsale in Sweden, progenitor of this great Clan. Gunni was the son of Gillanders, one of the six northern Earls who besieged King Malcolm IV of Scotland at Perth in 1160. The Gunns, the Sinclairs, the Mackays and the Gordons ruled the far northern reaches of Scotland. The Gunns' territory centered in Caithness and Sutherland.

Early Origins of the Gunn family

The surname Gunn was first found in the Orkneys. But perhaps to North Americans the most interesting aspect of Gunn history is the discovery of a Coat of Arms, which is undoubtedly of the Gunn Clan, in Westford, Massachusetts. Chiseled into a rock face, it has been reliably dated back to 1395. This was almost one hundred years before Columbus discovered America. Archaeologists first assumed this marking was the work of an early Indian tribe, but closer examination and the clearance of the scrub, revealed a knight in full armor, a huge sword and a shield on which the Gunn Coat of Arms was displayed.

How did a Knight of the Gunn Clan manage to be buried in Massachusetts years before Columbus discovered America? For the answer, historians went back to the Orkneys. They knew that the Jarls of Orkney, many centuries before had recorded that they wintered in their Viking missions in a land running with fire from the rocks (Nova Scotia, also on the east coast of North America, has bituminous rocks, which can catch fire and melt down the ravines to the sea). They also knew that the Gunns were related to and rode and sailed with the Jarls of Orkney. The pieces of the puzzle fit together fine, but few historians had realized to that point that the Viking discoveries of the New World had penetrated as far south as Massachusetts. This carving is one of the few real evidences of their pioneering expeditions. It is also the earliest record of a Gunn Clan Coat of Arms.

Early History of the Gunn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gunn research. Another 152 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1231, 1438, 1732, 1740, 1753 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Gunn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gunn Spelling Variations

Spelling variations are extremely common among Scottish names dating from this era because the arts of spelling and translation were not yet standardized. Spelling was done by sound, and translation from Gaelic to English was generally quite careless. In different records, Gunn has been spelled Gunn, Gun, Guinne (Gaelic) and others.

Early Notables of the Gunn family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

Barnabus Gunn (d. 1753), English organist and composer, organist at Gloucester Cathedral, 1732 to 1740...
One Barnabas Gunn died, according to the books of Chelsea Hospital, early in 1753, and a Barnabas Gunn was buried at Birmingham 11 Feb...

Gunn World Ranking

In the United States, the name Gunn is the 1,274^th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name Gunn is ranked the 566^th most popular surname with an estimated 6,794 people with that name. 2 And in New Zealand, the name Gunn is the 480^th popular surname with an estimated 1,420 people with that name. 3 The United Kingdom ranks Gunn as 713^rd with 9,434 people. 4

Migration of the Gunn family to Ireland

Some of the Gunn family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gunn migration to the United States +

Those who made the voyage were greeted with ample opportunity to acquire land and a political climate far away from the oppressive monarchy of the old country. They settled along the east coast of what would become Canada and the United States. In the American War of Independence, those who remained loyal to England traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In this century, many Scots living in North America have begun to recover their rich heritage through festivals, highland games, and Clan societies. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Gunn:

Gunn Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jasper Gunn, who landed in Connecticut in 1635 5
Thomas Gunn, who landed in Massachusetts in 1635 5
Joseph Gunn, who landed in Massachusetts in 1636 5
Daniel Gunn who settled in Boston in 1651
Daniel Gunn, who landed in New England in 1651-1652 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gunn Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Gunn, who landed in Virginia in 1715 5
William Gunn, aged 32, who landed in Virginia in 1773 5

Gunn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Richard Gunn, who arrived in America in 1806 5
Isabella Gunn, aged 25, who landed in Massachusetts in 1813 5
Patrick Gunn, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 5
Bernard Gunn, aged 60, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1834 5
Bernard, Gunn Jr., aged 9, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1834 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gunn migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gunn Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Joseph Gunn, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Mr. David Gunn U.E. who settled in Lancaster [South Glengarry], Ontario c. 1784 6
Mr. George Gunn U.E. who settled in St. Andrews, New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Penobscot Association 6
Mr. James Gunn U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 6

Gunn Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Jannet Gunn, aged 50, Scottish settler who arrived in Churchill in 1812 before arriving in the Red River, Canada in 1814 5
Esther Gunn, aged 24, Scottish settler who arrived in Churchill in 1812 before arriving in the Red River, Canada in 1814 5
Mary Gunn, Scottish settler who arrived in Churchill in 1812 before arriving in the Red River, Canada in 1814 5
Donald Gunn, aged 65, Scottish settler who arrived in Churchill in 1812 before arriving in the Red River, Canada in 1814
George Gunn, who landed in Canada in 1815
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gunn migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Gunn Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Samuel Gunn, British convict who was convicted in Norfolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. John Gunn, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mr. John Gunn, (Miniart), (b. 1805), aged 16, Scottish convict who was convicted in Inverness, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Mr. Daniel Gunn, (b. 1812), aged 16, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for life, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 25th June 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1846 10
Mrs. Janet Gunn, (Bain), (b. 1801), aged 29, Scottish servant who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Earl of Liverpool" in December 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gunn migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Gunn Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Gunn, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1843
Mr. Robert Gunn, British settler arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 12
Mrs. Mary Jane Gunn, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 12
Mr. A. Gunn, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Blundell" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1848 13
Mrs. Gunn, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Blundell" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1848 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gunn migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14

Gunn Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

William Gunn, who settled in Jamaica in 1651

Contemporary Notables of the name Gunn (post 1700) +

James Edwin Gunn (1923-2020), American Hugo Award winning science fiction writer, editor, scholar, and founding director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction, both at the University of Kansas
Adam Gunn, American Olympic sliver medalist for decathlon at the 1904 Summer Games
Moses Gunn (1929-1993), American Obie Award-winning stage actor
James Gunn (1843-1911), US Congressman from Idaho
James Gunn (1753-1801), US Senator from Georgia
Chanda Leigh Gunn (b. 1980), American Olympic ice hockey bronze medalist
Timothy M. Gunn (b. 1953), American fashion consultant and television personality
Trey Gunn (b. 1960), American musician best known for his membership in the rock band King Crimson from 1994 to 2003
Thom Gunn (1929-2004), Anglo-American poet
Sean Gunn (b. 1974), American actor
... (Another 47 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Gunn family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Leslie Gunn, British Leading Stoker, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 15

North Sea Flood

Mary Gunn, British traveler aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953

RMS Lusitania

Mr. C. Gunn, English Able-Bodied Seaman from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 16

RMS Titanic

Mr. Joseph Alfred Gunn (d. 1912), aged 28, English Assistant Saloon Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking and was recovered by CS Mackay-Bennett 17

The Gunn Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Aut pax, aut bellum
Motto Translation: Either peace or war

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-of-liverpool
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 10) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html