Lynskey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
England

The Anglo-Norman Conquest of Ireland lead by Strongbow introduced the first non-Gaelic elements into Irish nomenclature. These Anglo-Normans brought some traditions to Ireland that were not readily found within Gaelic system of hereditary surnames. One of the best examples of this is the local surname. Local surnames, such as Lynskey, were taken from the name of a place or a geographical feature where the person lived, held land, or was born. These surnames were very common in England, but were almost non-existent within Ireland previous to the conquest. The earliest surnames of this type came from Normandy, but as the Normans moved, they often created names in reference to where they actually resided. Therefore, some settlers eventually took names from Irish places. Originally, these place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. This type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname, if the place name began with a vowel, or was eliminated entirely. The Lynskey family originally lived in some location which is no longer known. The original form of the Norman surname Lynskey was de Lench. However, there is also a native Irish family named Lynskey. This surname, which was originally Ó Loingsigh, is derived from the Gaelic word loingseach, which means mariner.

Early Origins of the Lynskey family

The surname Lynskey was first found in County Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where they were granted lands by Strongbow after the English Norman invasion of Ireland in 1172.

Early History of the Lynskey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lynskey research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1320, 1488, 1489, 1490, 1507, 1611, 1623, 1669, 1676, 1682, 1684, 1691 and 1713 are included under the topic Early Lynskey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lynskey Spelling Variations

Church officials and medieval scribes spelled names as they sounded; therefore, single person, could have his name spelt many different ways during their lifetime. While investigating the origins of the name Lynskey, many spelling variations were encountered, including: Lynch, Linch, O'Lynch and others.

Early Notables of the Lynskey family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Geoffrey (Geffere) Lynch (fl. 1488-1489), 4th Mayor of Galway; John Lynch fitz John, fifth Mayor of Galway (1489-1490); Robuck Lynch, sixth Mayor of Galway (1489-1490); Arthur Lynch (Mayor), 22nd Mayor of Galway, (died 1507), a member of one of The...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lynskey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lynskey migration to the United States +

Ireland's Great Potato Famine left the country's inhabitants in extreme poverty and starvation. Many families left their homeland for North America for the promise of work, freedom and land ownership. Although the Irish were not free of economic and racial discrimination in North America, they did contribute greatly to the rapid development of bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Eventually, they would be accepted in other areas such as commerce, education, and the arts. An examination of immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Lynskey:

Lynskey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Bridget Lynskey, aged 25, who landed in New York, NY in 1848 1
Michael Lynskey, aged 50, who arrived in New York, NY in 1848 1
Margaret Lynskey, aged 61, who landed in New York, NY in 1849 1
Mary Lynskey, aged 20, who arrived in New York, NY in 1849 1
Maggie Lynskey, aged 30, who landed in America from Wexford, in 1898

Lynskey Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ellen Lynskey, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States from Queenstown, in 1902
Delia Lynskey, aged 25, who landed in America from Swinford, Ireland, in 1904
Lizzie Lynskey, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States from Kilkelly, Ireland, in 1907
Bridget Lynskey, aged 1, who landed in America from Liverpool, England, in 1907
Mary Ann Lynskey, aged 29, who settled in America from Liverpool, England, in 1907
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lynskey 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:

Lynskey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Sarah Lynskey, (b. 1848), aged 17, Irish domestic servant from County Mayo travelling from London aboard the ship "Tudor" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 24th September 1865 2
Mr. William Lynskey, (b. 1846), aged 19, Irish clerk from County Mayo travelling from London aboard the ship "Tudor" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 24th September 1865 2
Miss Honour Lynskey, (b. 1843), aged 23, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 5th January 1867 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Lynskey (post 1700) +

Melanie Jayne Lynskey (b. 1977), New Zealand multiple award winning and nominated actress, known for Two and a Half Men (2003-2015), Togetherness (2015), Heavenly Creatures (1994) and Up in the Air (2009) and Yellowjackets (2021-)
Ed Lynskey, American poet, critic, and novelist
Aoife Lynskey (b. 1980), Irish camogie player, winner of an All Ireland medal in 1996
Brendan Lynskey (b. 1956), Irish retired sportsperson
Sir George Justin Lynskey (1888-1957), English judge, best remembered for his role in investigating the political scandal that led to the eponymous Lynskey tribunal

Citations +

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)
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