The Flynn surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 63,400 people carried this name — #534 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 4,650 people counted. That is up 3% from 61,747 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Flynn surname

Anglicized from Irish Ó Floinn, "descendant of Flann (red)".

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Flynn» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 319 births for the Flynn name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 14,200 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 15 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 140
Connacht 85
Leinster 71
Ulster 23

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 195 people named Flynn live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 115
City of Buenos Aires 49
Neuquén 11
Santa Fe 10
Tierra del Fuego 10

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

64 people named Flynn live in Switzerland.

They live in 8 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Vaud 18
Zurich 17
Basel-Stadt 10
Geneva 6
Solothurn 4
Aargau 3
Graubünden 3
St. Gallen 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 29 people named Flynn.

Most of them — 24 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 4 départements, most often Paris.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 24
Paris 2
Alpes-Maritimes 1
Gironde 1
Vosges 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Poland’s population register

21 people named Flynn have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 74 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 6 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Masovian 6
Lower Silesian 4
Lesser Poland 4
Silesian 3
Lublin 2
Greater Poland 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In the Nordic population registers

38 people named Flynn is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 38

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In Scotland’s registers today

Flynn was recorded 59 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 447th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 90. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Flynn in American newspapers,
1891–1909.

Newspaper page from The Helena Independent carrying the name Flynn
The Helena Independent 1891-04-17
Newspaper page from The Searchlight carrying the name Flynn
The Searchlight 1909-01-01
Newspaper page from The Guthrie Daily Leader carrying the name Flynn
The Guthrie Daily Leader 1900-08-27

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 12,112 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Flynn in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2010s.

87,569 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Flynn. The most, 18,688, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Northern Territory, at 7.0 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 36,378
Queensland 19,133
Victoria 14,251
Western Australia 9,992
South Australia 3,404
Tasmania 2,283
ACT (Canberra) 953
Northern Territory 950

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Flynn.

Who carried it

People named Flynn,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Elizabeth Flynn Rodgers
    Elizabeth Flynn Rodgers 1847–1939 · social reformer
  • Edmund James Flynn
    Edmund James Flynn 1847–1927 · judge
  • William James Flynn
    William James Flynn 1867–1928 · U.S. Secret Service agent
  • Patrice Flynn
    Patrice Flynn 1874–1970 · Catholic priest
  • John Flynn
    John Flynn 1880–1951 · priest

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 223 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Flynn,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States21,470 records

21,470 records of the Flynn name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 7,109
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 6,770
  • Other U.S. records 7,591
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Daniel Joseph Flynn

    Born 1948; from Kings Park, New York. U.S. Army, carpentry and masonry specialist; died of wounds 1968 in Bien Hoa, South Vietnam. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Cornelius E. Flynn

    Born 1906 in New Jersey. Enlisted 1942 at Newark; warehouseman from Hudson County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1948, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Flynn

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 17; servant. From Annaughmacollin, Ireland; bound for Providence.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 21,470 records for Flynn in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia3,196 records

3,196 records of the Flynn name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,244
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 727
  • Other Australian records 1,225
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Thomas Flynn

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Pestongee Bomangee, sailing from Dublin in 1848. Native of Leitrim. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1852. Married 1852 in Westbury, Tasmania, aged 30.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Catherine Flynn

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Duke of Cornwall, sailing from Kingston in 1850. Native of Cork. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Thomas Flynn

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Moffatt, sailing from Woolwich in 1837. Native of Limehouse, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851. Married 1851 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 26.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 3,196 records for Flynn in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada528 records

528 records of the Flynn name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 368
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 43
  • Other Canadian records 117
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Thomas Kenny Flynn

    Killed in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, aged 80; buried at Holy Cross Cemetery, Halifax.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Flynn

    Came to Ontario in 1870 aboard the Medway, landing at Quebec, bound for Niagara, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Greg Flynn

    Buried in 1985 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 24.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 528 records for Flynn in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

United Kingdom124 records

124 records of the Flynn name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 63
  • Stirling Council burial records 45
  • Other British records 16
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Patrick Flynn

    Died 1926, aged 77; buried at Bannockburn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Thomas Flynn

    Will proved in 1935; of Southend-on-sea, Essex.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Thomas Flynn

    Died 1919. Named in the roll of honour (1926).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 124 records for Flynn in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand55 records

55 records of the Flynn name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 41
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 10
  • Other New Zealand records 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Catherine Mary Flynn

    Died 1953, aged 58; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Eric John Flynn

    Died 1993, aged 82; buried at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Rae Bernadette Flynn

    Died 2001, aged 59; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 55 records for Flynn in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Ireland40 records

40 records of the Flynn name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mick Flynn

    Died 2001, aged 76; buried at Killursa, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margret Flynn

    Died 1797, aged 52; buried at Lackagh (Old), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Flynn

    Died 1991, aged 61; buried at Ballygar, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 40 records for Flynn in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France3 records

3 records of the Flynn name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Raoul Henry Leon Flynn

    Born 1906 in Paris; died 1974 in Castet-Arrouy (Gers).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 1 of 3 records for Flynn in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Flynn name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Claire Irène Flynn

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage; born 1877 in Chicago.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Flynn in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Flynn.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Flynn is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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