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Show ContentsFinn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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  • France France
  • Ireland Ireland
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The Irish surname Finn originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Finn, from the word "fionn," which means "fair." 1

Early Origins of the Finn family

The surname Finn was first found in County Sligo (Irish: Sligeach), in the province of Connacht in Northwestern Ireland, where they held a family seat from ancient times. One of the first records of the name was Aed Ó Finn, an Irish musician who died 1269. His obituary listed him as a master of music and minstrelsy.

Saint and Bishop Finn Barr (d. 623), of Cork, was son of Amergin, of the tribe of Ui Briuin Hatha of Connaught, who were descended from Eochaidh Muidmheadhon, brother of Olioll Olum, king of Munster. 2

Cumine Ailbhe or Finn (657?-669?), was seventh Abbot of Hy, the son of Ernan, son of Fiachna, of the race of Conall Gulban. "The term 'ailbhe' is explained as albus, or fair, in the 'Annals of Ulster,' and more fully in an ancient poem quoted in Reeves's 'Adamnan,' where he is referred to as 'Cumine of fair hair.' " 2

Early History of the Finn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Finn research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1020 and 1369 are included under the topic Early Finn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Finn Spelling Variations

Just like the English language, the Gaelic language of Ireland was not standardized in the Middle Ages. Therefore, one's name was often recorded under several different spellings during the life of its bearer. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origins of the Finn family name include Finn, O'Finn, Maginn, Fynn, O'Fynn and others.

Early Notables of the Finn family

Notable among the family name at this time was

  • Reverend John O'Finn, vicar of Granard in 1369

Finn World Ranking

In the United States, the name Finn is the 1,626th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 3 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Finn is ranked the 429th most popular surname with an estimated 109 people with that name. 4 And in Australia, the name Finn is the 775th popular surname with an estimated 5,041 people with that name. 5

United States Finn migration to the United States +

Death and immigration greatly reduced Ireland's population in the 19th century. For the native Irish people poverty, hunger, and racial prejudice was common. Therefore, thousands left their homeland to seek opportunity in North America. Those who survived the journey and the quarantine camps to which they arrived, were instrumental towards building the strong developing nations of the United States and the future Canada. By far, the largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These were employed as construction or factory workers. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Finn:

Finn Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Teage Finn arrived at Bristol, Rhode Island in 1679
  • John and Philip Finn, who settled in Virginia in 1698
Finn Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Hannah Finn is on record in Boston in 1744
  • James Finn, a Middlesex England convict, was sent to America in 1755
Finn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Robert Finn, who arrived in New York in 1811 6
  • Martin Finn, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1812 6
  • Con Finn arrived at the port of New York in 1812
  • Con Finn, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 6
  • Elizabeth Finn, aged 31, who arrived in New York in 1812 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Finn migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Finn Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Finn Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Catherine Finn, who settled in Ontario, Canada in 1825
  • Edward Finn, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1827
  • Catherine Finn, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1829
  • William Finn, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1829
  • Margaret Finn, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1831
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Finn migration to Australia +

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

Finn Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Finn, (b. 1799), aged 21, Irish shoe maker who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • Mr. John Finn, (b. 1810), aged 19, Irish ploughman who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for life for forgery, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 2nd March 1829, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1838 9
  • Mr. John Finn, (b. 1807), aged 24, Irish farmers man who was convicted in Wexford, Ireland for 7 years for coining, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 5th November 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
  • Mr. William Finn, English Ploughman who was convicted in Kent, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 18th June 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died 1859 11
  • Mr. Patrick Finn, (b. 1817), aged 19, Irish carter who was convicted in Carlow, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Earl Grey" on 27th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1871 12
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Finn 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:

Finn Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Finn, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Helvellyn" in 1863
  • Mr. Michael Finn, South African settler travelling from Cape Town aboard the ship "Eveline" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 22nd January 1865 13
  • Michael Finn, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Eveline" in 1865 14
  • Mr. Joseph Finn, (b. 1852), aged 23, Irish farm labourer from Carlow travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 15
  • Mr. Patrick Finn, (b. 1863), aged 20, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Forfarshire" arriving in Invercargill, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 26th June 1883 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Finn (post 1700) +

  • Robert Samuel Finn (1922-2022), American mathematician, born in Buffalo, New York, he held Guggenheim Fellowships (1958-1959) and (1965-1966), Professor at Stanford University (1959)
  • David Finn (1921-2021), American public relations executive, photographer, and historian of sculpture, co-founder of the Ruder Finn firm
  • Thomas Joseph "Tom" Finn (1948-2020), American musician and DJ
  • Mark Finn (b. 1969), pseudonym of Mark Farr-Nash, American science fiction and fantasy writer, essayist, and playwright, nominated for World Fantasy Special Award: Professional in 2007
  • Chester Evans Finn (b. 1944), American professor of education at Vanderbilt University (1981) and an educational policymaker
  • John Finn (b. 1952), American actor
  • William Finn (b. 1952), award-winning American composer and lyricist
  • Lieutenant John William Finn (1909-2010), American sailor awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1941 for his actions at Pearl Harbor
  • Howard J. Finn, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Marine Corps, during World War II, credited with 5 aerial victories
  • Edward Finn, American politician, First Selectman of Winchester, Connecticut, 1904-11 16
  • ... (Another 45 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. W Finn, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 17

Suggested Readings for the name Finn +

  • History of Our Moyer, Finn, Sutton, Russell & Related Families by William Finn Moyer.
  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  5. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  6. 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)
  7. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-grey
  13. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  14. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  15. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  16. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  17. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
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