Show ContentsGuinan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Guinan comes from the Irish surname Ó Cuanain (O'Conein and MacConein) and is derived from the Irish Cuinin for "rabbit", son of Dugal. They claim descendancy through the Donnelly line of the native Irish. 1

Early Origins of the Guinan family

The surname Guinan was first found in County Tipperary (Irish: Thiobraid Árann), established in the 13th century in South-central Ireland, in the province of Munster, where Isaac O Cuanain was Bishop of Roscrea from 1161 to 1168. But the name was scattered throughout Ireland, some bearers being recorded in Kildare and the surrounding counties in the 16th century.

Bearers of the name Guinan were also present in County Sligo, where O'Cunane was a principal Irish name in the census of 1659. The two baronies of County Leitrim which border County Sligo, had the name O'Conan listed in the same census.

Early History of the Guinan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Guinan research. Another 62 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1666 is included under the topic Early Guinan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guinan Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Conan, Coonan, Coonane, O'Conan, O'Cunane and others.

Early Notables of the Guinan family

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

Guinan Ranking

In the United States, the name Guinan is the 16,912nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2


United States Guinan migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Guinan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Guinan, aged 23, who arrived in Maryland in 1812 3
  • Terry Guinan, who landed in New York in 1839 3
  • Michael Guinan, who landed in Texas in 1850-1906 3
  • Monty Guinan, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1852 3

Canada Guinan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Guinan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Catherine White Guinan, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1824
  • Philip Guinan, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1825
  • Patrick Guinan, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1831
  • Miss. Bridget Guinan, aged 2 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Wolfyille" departing 25th April 1847 from Sligo, Ireland; the ship arrived on 10th June 1847 but she died on board 4

Australia Guinan migration to Australia +

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

Guinan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Anne Guinan, (Gainon, Gaynan), (b. 1821), aged 30, Irish country servant who was convicted in Kildare, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Blackfriar" on 24th January 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
  • Miss Ann Guinan, (b. 1844), aged 7, Irish settler travelling with Anne Guinan convict, transported aboard the "Blackfriar" on 24th January 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Guinan (post 1700) +

  • Robert Guinan (1934-2016), American painter
  • Joe Guinan (b. 1969), American casting executive, known for his work on Lord of Illusions (1995), Panther (1995) and Soultaker (1990)
  • Megan Guinan, American actress and writer, known for Not Waving But Drowning (2012), Deleria (2016) and Limitless (2015)
  • Edward F. Guinan, American professor in Villanova University's Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Matthew "Mattie" Guinan (1910-1995), American labor organizer, second president of Transport Workers Union of America
  • Mary Louise Cecilia "Texas" Guinan (1884-1933), American saloon keeper, silent film actress, and entrepreneur from Waco, Texas; she appeared in 51 features
  • Francis V Guinan Jr., American film, television and stage actor, known for Hannibal (2001), Constantine (2005) and The Last Airbender (2010)
  • James Guinan, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Michigan 16th District, 1932; Member of Michigan Democratic State Central Committee, 1937 6
  • Daniel F. Guinan Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, 1936-66 6
  • Daniel F. Guinan, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1924 6
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  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. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 78)
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blackfriar
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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