Lynch
An Irish surname traditionally linked to the Gaelic de Linsigh family of Galway, later widely spread in Ireland and the English-speaking world.
The #259 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 2,623 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually explained as Irish, from the Gaelic family name de Linsigh, often associated with the powerful Lynch family of Galway. Older scholarship also connected the name with an Anglo-Norman ancestor, William le Petit, in Ireland, reflecting the way some Irish surnames became tied to settler families and local dynasties. The deeper origin is not always stated with certainty in the older dictionaries, so the exact path may vary by family line.
History
Lower notes that several gentry families named Lynch were established in County Galway and Mayo, and that they were descended from the historic “tribes of Galway.” The name became especially prominent in Galway, where the Lynch family was one of the city’s leading merchant dynasties. In English and American records, Lynch is also common as a surname outside Ireland, especially through later Irish migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The famous Galway mayor James Lynch FitzStephen gave rise to the legend of “hanging Judge Lynch,” a story that helped make the surname memorable far beyond Ireland.
From the historical record
“1341. LYNCH. See LInch. Several gentry families of this name reside in cos. Galway and Mayo. They are descended from the settlers known as the tribes of Galway. In a document in Ulster's office, William le Petit is said to have been the ancestor of the Lynch family in Ireland. B.L.G. LYNDE. See Liud. LYNDON. A…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom