Kinsella
An Irish surname, most likely from an old Gaelic personal name or clan designation, later established as a hereditary family name.
The #7,920 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 73,880 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kinsella is an Irish surname of Gaelic origin. The historical spellings point to an older Irish form beginning with Cinn- / Cine-, but the exact original personal name behind it is not fully secure from the excerpts alone. Nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century authorities treat it as one of the older Irish family names, and the form was later anglicized as Kinsella.
History
The name is especially associated with Ireland, and modern bearers are concentrated there and in the Irish diaspora. Early genealogical and onomastic works list Kinsella among established Irish surnames, showing it was already well rooted as a family name by the time those studies were compiled. The surname is now fairly familiar in English-speaking countries, especially through migration from Ireland.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In the 2010 U.S. Census, Kinsella ranked 7,920th, with about 4,179 bearers.
From the historical record
“1032 KINSELLA. 1048 Lacy. Leacy. 244. [McKinny]. 439. 1011 Kilbride.”
— Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland