Surname Oquinn - Meaning and Origin

Oquinn: What does the surname Oquinn mean?

The last name Oquinn is of Irish origin. The name is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname O Cuinn which comes from the personal name Conn or Con. In Ireland, the surname Oquinn is derived from the ancient province of Connacht, derived from the tribe of the Uí Néill.

The earliest record of the name is found in the Annals of Ulster, which document the death of the O'Cuinn chief in the 13th century. The chiefs were known as the Uí Shíocháin, ruling the territory of what is now County Galway.

The Oquinn clan migrated to various parts of the country, settling mainly in Ulster after the 12th century. The name was found in record in the early 17th century in Ulster, with the earliest emigrants to America arriving in Maryland and Pennsylvania in the mid-1700s.

The Oquinn name has been associated with several famous people over the years, including Niall O'Quinn, an early-19th century Irish entrepreneur and landowner; Patrick O'Quinn, a freedom fighter in the American Revolution; and Julian Oquinn, a 19th-century American politician. Additionally, the Oquinn surname was one of the most common in Canada in the 1920s.

The Oquinn surname is now found mainly in the United States, Canada, and Ireland. It continues to be a recognizable and significant part of the rich cultural fabric of these countries.

Oquinn: Where does the name Oquinn come from?

The last name Oquinn is most commonly found in the United States of America and is of Irish heritage. It is also found in other parts of English-speaking countries, such as Australia and Canada. According to the US Census Bureau, there is an estimated 31,336 people with this surname in the US alone.

The surname is thought to be derived from the Irish surname Mac Uaithnin or Mac Uighinn. It is believed to have been taken from an Irish clan from the province of Connacht around Galway.

There is evidence the name was also brought to the US and other countries in the 1700s by immigrants from Ireland. In the US, Oquinn is most common in the southeast, and especially in states such as Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina. These states have a long history of Irish immigration, so it is no surprise that the name Oquinn is very common in them.

According to U.S. records, the majority of people who bear this surname are of African-American descent. The name has been strongly linked to Ireland in the past, but has been adapted and adopted by many different cultures over the years.

The name Oquinn appears to be most likely to stay with the southeastern states of the US, and is not expected to spread significantly any time soon.

Variations of the surname Oquinn

The surname Oquinn is an anglo-saxon surname which has many spelling variants, such as Quinn, O'Quinn, O'Quin, Quinn, Quinne, O'Quinnell, O'Quinne, Quin, Quine, Quyen, Qwen, Quenn, Qwenne, Quene, O'Queni, Quenne, Quynn, and Quynne.

The surname Oquinn is an Irish variant of the ancient Gaelic surname O Comhdhain, which is derived from a Gaelic personal name which refers to an elder in the community. The O prefix is an ancient Irish patronymic prefix which means “son of”, so an O' Comhdhain means “son of Comhdhain”. This surname was made popular during the latter part of the 19th century when Irish people began emigrating to other countries in large numbers.

The origins of the surname Oquinn can also be traced to the Irish surname Mac Cu(i)n, which is a variation of the Irish name for the personal name Connor. This was a name which referred to the leader of the tribe and was very common among the ancient Celts. Over time, the prefix Mac was dropped from the beginning of the name and the spelling was altered.

In Scotland, the surname Oquinn can be found spelled as O'Quinnell, Quynne, or Quenn. In Wales, it is also spelled as Quinne, Quenne, or Quyen.

There are also many alternative spellings of the surname, such as O'Queni, Quine, Qwen, and Qwenne which were used in England, particularly in the Lancaster and Lancashire counties.

No matter how it is spelled, the surname Oquinn is an ancient one and can be traced back to early Irish and Gaelic origins.

Famous people with the name Oquinn

• John Oquinn- American trial lawyer
• Dewey Oquinn- American singer/songwriter and bass guitar player
• Tom Oquinn- American racing driver and entrepreneur
• Shaquill Oquinn- American professional football player
• Robert Oquinn- American character actor
• Teresa Oquinn- American actress
• Michael Oquinn- American singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
• Carl Oquinn- American gospel singer and public speaker
• Shamus Oquinn- American actor
• Pick Oquinn- American voice actor
• Robley Oquinn- American actor
• James Oquinn- American actor
• Mark Oquinn- American jazz drummer
• Curt Oquinn- American actor
• Stephen Oquinn- American college basketball coach

Other surnames

Oquin