Origin of the Name Wynne
The ancient history of the name
Wynne was found in the allfamilycrests.com archives.
Over the centuries Surnames developed a wide number of variants. Different spellings of the same name can be traced back to an original root. Additionally when a bearer of a name emigrated it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books at their new location. Surnames were also often altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another.
Variants of the name Wynne
include Gahan, Gaughan, Gavaghan, Geehan, Guihen, McGeehan, McGahan, Wynn and Mulgeehy. This name in Irish is O'Gaibhtheachain and the latter variants are the anglicized form of this. This sept was from Connacht, Mayo, Roscommon and Donegal.
A sept or clan is a collective term describing a group of persons whose immediate ancestors bore a common surname and inhabited the same territory. Irish septs and clans that are related often belong to even larger groups, sometimes called tribes.
The first of the name were a branch of the Hy Fiachrach who possessed territory near Crossmolina in County Mayo. They were Chiefs of Calry in the barony of Tirawley. A second sept were called O'Gaoithin with their name being anglicized as Geehan, Guihen and Gahan, they being located in Roscommon. A third sept from Donegal were called O'Gaoithin with their name being anglicized as McGeehan, Mageean and Wynne. Welsh immigrants called Gwynn also sometimes changed their name to Wynne.
The Wynne coat of arms came into existence centuries ago. The process of creating coats of arms (also often called family crests) began in the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this. The new art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own coat of arms, including all Wynne descendants.