Show ContentsGuiñan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Guiñan Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Guiñan

What does the name Guiñan mean?

When Guiñan was first used as a surname among the ancient Scottish people, it was a name for a personal name Conan, which means little hound. The name could also be a local name from the land of Conan in Kincardinshire. 1 In this situation, the name would have been a topographic or local surname, which was given to a family who held a barony or lands, had houses, manors or estates in that area.

Early Origins of the Guiñan family

The surname Guiñan was first found in Kincardineshire (Gaelic: A' Mhaoirne), a former county on the northeast coast of the Grampian region of Scotland, and part of the Aberdeenshire Council Area since 1996, where Adam filius Conani was probably the first recording of the name in 1292. A few years later, Conan of Balquhidder rendered homage to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland in 1296. John Conan de Conansythe was mentioned in 1387 and appears in 1394 as John de Conane dominus de Connansytht. William de Conane was perpetual vicar of the church of Aberbrothoc in 1394 (ibid., 42). John de Conan or Conane had a charter of a toft of Kethyk, etc., in Forfar, 1415. Duncan de Conan was juror on inquisition on lands of Tulloch, 1438, and in 1443 David de Connane or Conane had a grant of the lands of Tempilhill. David Conan witnesses an "instrament of sessyn" of the bell of S. Meddan in 1447. 1

"From the name of Conan de Glenerochy, illegitimate son of Henry, earl of Atholl, comes Cunieson, Cunison, Cunnison." 1

Early History of the Guiñan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Guiñan research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1594, 1603, 1608, 1640 and 1694 are included under the topic Early Guiñan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guiñan Spelling Variations

The arts of spelling and translation were yet in their infancies when surnames began, so there are an enormous number of spelling variations of the names in early Scottish records. This is a particular problem with Scottish names because of the numerous times a name might have been loosely translated to English from Gaelic and back. Guiñan has been spelled Conan, Conane, Conad, Connan, Connant, Conant and others.

Early Notables of the Guiñan family

Rev. John Conant (1608-1694), an English clergyman, theologian, and Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University. He was the "son of Robert and Elizabeth Conant, was born at Yettington in the parish of Bicton, Devonshire...
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Guiñan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guiñan Ranking

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

Migration of the Guiñan family to Ireland

Some of the Guiñan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guiñan migration to the United States +

This oppression forced many Scots to leave their homelands. Most of these chose North America as their destination. Although the journey left many sick and poor, these immigrants were welcomed the hardy with great opportunity. Many of these settlers stood up for their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. More recently, Scots abroad have recovered much of their collective heritage through highland games and other patriotic functions and groups. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has located various settlers bearing the name Guiñan:

Guiñan 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

Guiñan migration to Canada +

Guiñan 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

Guiñan migration to Australia +

Guiñan 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 Guiñan (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 7
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  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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