Show ContentsQuinlin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Irish surnames are all based on the Gaelic language native to Ireland. The original Gaelic form of the name Quinlin is O Caoinleain or O Caoindealbhain.

Early Origins of the Quinlin family

The surname Quinlin was first found in County Meath (Irish: An Mhí) anciently part of the kingdom of Brega, located in Eastern Ireland, in the province of Leinster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Quinlin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Quinlin research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early Quinlin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Quinlin Spelling Variations

Irish names were rarely spelled consistently in the Middle Ages. Spelling variations of the name Quinlin dating from that time include Quinlan, O'Quinlan, O'Quinlevan, O'Quinlivan and many more.

Early Notables of the Quinlin family

More information is included under the topic Early Quinlin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Quinlin migration to the United States +

Thousands of Irish families left for North American shores in the 19th century. These people were searching for a life unencumbered with poverty, hunger, and racial discrimination. Many arrived to eventually find such conditions, but many others simply did not arrive: victims of the diseased, overcrowded ships in which they traveled to the New World. Those who lived to see North American shores were instrumental in the development of the growing nations of Canada and the United States. A thorough examination of passenger and immigration lists has disclosed evidence of many early immigrants of the name Quinlin:

Quinlin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Timothy Quinlin, who arrived in New York in 1841 [1]
  • Patrick Quinlin, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1848 [1]
  • James Quinlin, who landed in Mobile County, Ala in 1855 [1]
  • Michael Quinlin, aged 40, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1856 [1]

New Zealand Quinlin 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:

Quinlin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Mary Quinlin, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Victory " arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 17th October 1863 [2]


  1. 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)
  2. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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