Show ContentsQuin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Irish name Quin was originally written in a Gaelic form as Ó Cuinn, which means descendant of Conn.

Early Origins of the Quin family

The surname Quin was first found in county Longford (Irish: An Longfort) traditionally known as Annaly or Teffia, and situated in the Irish Midlands, in Northwest Leinster where they were Lords of Muintir Gillagain. The O'Quinns and MacQuinns (and all of the spelling variables derived from these) were descended from Conn, who in turn was descended from the Princes of Annaly.

Early History of the Quin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Quin research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1014, 1252, 1279, 1281, 1522, 1551, 1575, 1595, 1634, 1645, 1676, 1693, 1726 and 1766 are included under the topic Early Quin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Quin Spelling Variations

Names from the Middle Ages demonstrate many spelling variations. This is because the recording scribe or church official often decided as to how a person's name was spelt and in what language. Research into the name Quin revealed many variations, including O'Quinn, Quin, Quinn, Quine, MacQuin, MacQuinn, McQuin, McQuinn, MacCuin, Cuinn, Cuin and many more.

Early Notables of the Quin family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

  • Thomas O'Quinn, Bishop of Clonmacnois (1252-1279), as well as John Quinn, Bishop of Limerick (1522-1551), as well as Thady Quin (1645-1726) of Adare of the Thomond O'Quins, who was the grandfather of...
  • Walter Quin (c. 1575-1634), was an Irish poet and preceptor of Charles I. Born in Dublin, he travelled abroad and became a cultivated writer in English, French, Italian, and Latin. He was in Edinburgh...
  • James Quin (1693-1766), was an Irish actor, the illegitimate son of James Quin, barrister and the grandson of Mark Quin, mayor of Dublin in 1676. 1

Quin Ranking

In the United States, the name Quin is the 15,374th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2


United States Quin migration to the United States +

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Quin or a variant listed above, including:

Quin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Quin, who landed in Virginia in 1700 3
  • Darby Quin, who arrived in Virginia in 1712 3
  • Hugh Quin, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 3
  • Thomas Quin, who arrived in America in 1760-1763 3
  • Joseph Quin, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1765 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Quin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Quin, who landed in America in 1801 3
  • Manus Quin, who landed in America in 1804 3
  • Terence Quin, aged 40, who landed in New Castle or Philadelphia in 1805 3
  • Patrick Quin, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 3
  • Henry Quin, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Quin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Quin Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Ann Quin, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • Caser Quin, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • John Quin, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1750
  • Mr. John Quin U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1786 he served in the Royal Regiment of New York 4
  • Mr. Michael Quin U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1786 he served in the Royal Regiment of New York 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Quin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Patt Quin, aged 21, who landed in Canada in 1811
  • Margaret Quin, aged 22, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Bartley" in 1833
  • Hugh Quin, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Leslie Gault" in 1833
  • James Quin, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Daniel O'Connell" in 1834
  • Catherine Quin, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Daniel O'Connell" in 1834
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Quin migration to Australia +

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

Quin Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
  • Mr. James Quin, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Quin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Quin, British convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • Mr. James Quin, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" in May 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Mr. William Quin, English seaman who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years for forgery, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1822 8
  • Mr. James Quin, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
  • Mr. Edward Quin, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Quin 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:

Quin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Quin, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Phoebe" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 18th April 1843 11
  • Mrs. Quin, British settler travelling from London with 2 children aboard the ship "Phoebe" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 18th April 1843 11
  • Mr. Patrick Quin, (b. 1835), aged 26, British schoolmaster travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 11
  • Miss Mary Ann Quin, (b. 1862), aged Infant, Irish settler, from Antrim travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 11
  • Mrs. Ann Quin, (b. 1839), aged 23, Irish settler, from Antrim travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 11
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Quin (post 1700) +

  • Michael Joseph Quin (1796-1843), Irish traveller and political writer
  • Edward Quin (d. 1823), Irish journalist, born in Dublin, who spent some years in France, where he taught pugilism
  • Frederic Hervey Foster Quin (1799-1878), born in London, he was the first homœopathic physician in England
  • Edward Richard Windham Wyndham Quin (1812-1871), third Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl, who assumed the name Quin from his grandfather, Valentine Richard Quin (1752–1824), as a staunch supporter of the union
  • Cassandra Quin Butts (1965-2016), American lawyer, Senior Advisor in the Office of the Chief Executive Officer at the Millennium Challenge Corporation


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. 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
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
  11. 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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