The name Lynch, which is ranked among the 100 most common names in Ireland, originates with several different clans, and is most frequently traced back to the anglicization of the old Irish name Ó Loinsigh, and the less-numerous Norman de Lench family. The de Lench arrived in Ireland from France during the 12th century and became the most prominent of the 14 Norman families that made up the “Tribes of Galway,” who controlled the city’s trade and maintained its status as a rare loyal outpost in the west of Ireland to the British crown. The landmark Lynch Castle, constructed in 1320, remains under the family’s ownership and continues to bear its coat of arms while serving the public as a bank. The Lynch presence in Galway was so strong that there have been 84 Lynch mayors to date, beginning in 1485 with Peirce Lynch, the city’s first. However, he was not the first of his family to occupy a seat of power. His grandfather, Edmond, was Sovereign of Galway in 1434, and the earliest known member of the family, Thomas de Lynch, was provost of Galway in 1274.
The most famous of the many mayor Lynches of Galway was James Lynch fitz Stephen, elected in 1493. Shortly afterwards, he made a trip to Spain and returned to Ireland with a new ward, Gomez, the son of his overseas host. Gomez and Lynch’s own son, Walter, became instant friends; however, things spun out of control when Walter killed Gomez while disputing the affections of a woman. In spite of public outcry for Walter’s pardon, Lynch, who was also a magistrate, saw justice served, comforting his son in jail before hanging him from the upstairs window of his own house next door. Haunted by his decision, Lynch lived the rest of his life as a recluse. It has been proposed that this incident was the genesis of the verb “to lynch,” meaning to extrajudicially punish someone by hanging. Another theory of its origin is the unofficial Virginian court of Revolutionary War colonel Charles Lynch (1736 – 1796), who administered justice outside the law due to the war period’s disruptive effects on court operations.
The Lynch’s mayoral era in Galway came to an end in 1654, when Catholics were barred from holding public office by English rule. However, it received a reprise in 1989, when Fine Gael member Angela Lynch-Lupton (d. 2007) was voted into office, and again in 1998, when she was re-elected.
Those born of Ó Loinsigh stock will most typically find their roots in counties Cork, Sligo, and Clare. This name is occupational in origin, meaning “mariner,” and, fittingly, there are no shortage of Lynches who have upheld this name’s reputation on the high seas. Two such figures were brothers Henry Blosse Lynch (1807 – 1873) and Thomas Kerr Lynch (1818 – 1891). Joining the Royal Indian Navy at just 16 years old, Henry skyrocketed to the position of official interpreter for the Gulf Squadron due to his fluency in the Persian and Arabic languages. He contributed to the exploration and survey of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers, as well as the Mesopotamia region, and, together with his brother Thomas, created a postal route between Damascus and Baghdad. Thomas himself explored the Near East and was behind the first steamer services between Baghdad and India. He travelled much of Persia, building relationships that eventually allowed him to serve as the consul general for Persia in London.
Making waves on distant waters, Chilean naval hero Patricio Lynch (1825 – 1886) was a principle figure in the later stages of the War of the Pacific. He was nicknamed “The Red Prince” by the Chinese slave laborers he liberated from the Peruvian haciendas for the bright ginger hue of his hair. Fascinatingly, Patricio was the great-grandson of Patrick Lynch, who emigrated in his youth from Co. Galway to Buenos Aires, and from whom would also descend Ernesto Guevara Lynch, the father of Argentine revolutionary Che Guevera (1928 – 1967).
In the United States today, the name Lynch sustains significance in all disciplines. Director David Lynch (b. 1946), the mind behind films such as The Elephant Man and cult serial drama Twin Peaks, has been described by the Guardian as “the Renaissance man of modern American filmmaking,” and screenwriter Brian Lynch (b. 1973) has penned many recent hits, including Puss in Boots (2011), Minions (2015), and The Secret Life of Pets (2016). Celebrated actress and comedian Jane Lynch (b. 1960) brought life to Sue Sylvester, the hyperbolic antagonist of the TV musical Glee. R&B and pop singer Sybil Anita Lynch (b. 1966), better known as simply Sybil, is known worldwide for her cover versions of Dionne Warwick’s “Don’t Make Me Over” and “Walk On By,” released in the late 1980s. Sandra Lynch (b. 1946) made history in 2008 by becoming the first woman in history to serve as a United States chief circuit judge on the United States Court of Appeals on the First Circuit. She was first nominated to the First Circuit in 1995 by fellow Irish American Bill Clinton. Also making history for women is restaurateur Barbara Lynch (b. 1964), profiled in this issue of Irish America. As the second woman to be awarded the James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur award and the sole female Relais & Châteaux grand chef in North America, she is one of many Lynches today raising the standard for those in the years to come. ♦
Hello from the UK. Very nice that you have put together this page, and done some research on various families bearing the name of Lynch. However, it is misleading to insinuate or claim that all those of the surname Lynch are connected to the actual de Lynch, Lynch-Blosse or Blosse-Lynch families of Galway, or that they would have any right to bear the arms of this illustrious line. All too often, persons unconnected with a main family, not related by blood, by title or by proven descent, claim a heritage that can only, in reality, be claimed by a particular set of individuals. Furthermore, Henry Blosse Lynch (1807 – 1873) and Thomas Kerr Lynch (1818 – 1891) were descendants of the Norman Knights de Lynch. As you quite rightly say, these Lynches are distinct from the Lynches with the occupational name you mention. Only the direct descendants of the Lynches of Galway are entitled to use the coat of arms associated with this Anglo Norman family. It is wrong for everyone in the world bearing a particular surname to think they are entitled to bear the arms of that family or claim affiliation by blood. I think this should be made clear by all so called genealogy websites. Please make this clearer in your text.
Hello,
I found your reply very interesting. I am a direct descendent of Lynch. I have my Great Great Great Grandfathers Bibles. So far I have found the information inside to trace back tonRoebuck Lynch Sr. 1728. They settled in Baltimore Maryland. I am going to head to the Baltimore Historic Society to help confirm the continued blood line that Ansestory leaders me to Robert ‘Robuck’ (2Nd Bt) Lynch feb 21 ,1621 Galway Ireland. ( my Grandfather would be so proud of my sister and I for doing this surch) My Father unfortunately ends the William Patrick Lynch blood line. We have no brothers to carry on our name.
If you have any information to help in my surch it would be greatly appreciated
I too am defended from Roebuck Lynch of Sandy Plains in Baltimore County. Can you trace the line to Galway?
Kellie I am doing research on the Family of Patrick Lynch of Baltimore Co. and his wife Margaret Bowen I would enjoy Linking with Family members and their ties to the Lynches of Galway. Do you have any ties with Todd’s Inheritance at North Point
Hi Kellie!
I know that I am also descended from the Lynch family in Maryland – the farthest record I have is Thomas O’Neil Lynch born in 1870. If you wouldn’t mind sharing any further discoveries you make, I would appreciate it! Thank you!
My maiden name is Lynch, and I was born and raised in Baltimore. My grandfather was Jeremiah Jerome Patrick Lynch, who died in Baltimore in 1978. He had 7 children, one of whom was my father. We were raised with a very distinct feeling of “Irish-ness”, and raised to be quite proud of our Irish heritage. (I am also Irish on my mother’s side, a Mullins). My father’s family was staunchly Irish catholic. I am wondering if we are related?
I am searching for a lost cousin, Jeremiah Lynch, born 1859, Fahamore, Castlegregory, Kerry, Ireland. Left for America 1884, and vanished!
Hey from Hawaii Maui . My name is Tina Lynch and I am your long lost cousin . Pierce Lynch Fitz Ambrose is my 12 great grandfather.
Hi iam a lynch from Liverpool England and I am about to trace my family.
My dad and his family came from Galway, I was born in Dublin.
Any information would be grateful.
I’ll use the coat of arms if I like.
Thanks very much,
Kelly Lynch
I was born to the name Lynch. My father and paternal grandfather both had the first name Launey. My grandfather lived in Savanah Georgia. Not sure how to trace the lineage back to Ireland but my Mom use to say we were related to The Thomas and James Lynch you write about. I have no real proof of this however. Any information would be great.
I am positive that my Lynch forebears are from Galway, but my forefather had his own coat of arms, different from the one on this article.
Coat of Arms of Dominick Lynch – oh I guess I cannot paste it here. It is in a Wikipedia article on him. I just found a Dominick Lynch in city government in NYC, Dominick Lynch the third. I would love to claim a relationship with him, but he is quite Black. I fear, if we are descended from the same Lynch clan, that history involves inhumanity by my forebears to his.
Hello .I did a Dna test it went though Gedmatch mostly from Rosscommen -Galoway-Sligo- Then cork-Limerick and a few more Places in Ireland. On the Dna i match 48cms which is high i was real excited finding my Family history. Name Lynch-Hannon-Moyles-McDonnell-Kerrigan
What’s the simplest way to do a DNA test, and how to use the results to find matches?
Patrick, Ancestry DNA tests are now on sale. If you do a DNA test through Ancestry you are able to upload your raw DNA into other DNA testing sites, such as My Heritage, Family Tree DNA and other sites. Where as you cannot upload your DNA into Ancestry if you go with another group. You can also upload your DNA into GEDmatch which is a site that many people use to find DNA matches..
I hope you can make sense of this.. Good luck on your search. I have no idea which line of Lynches my great grandmother comes from!! Ellen Lynch, married John O’Shea.
Any know Lynches immigrate to Canada*
My ancestors did, around 1841 or so, to just east of Peterborough Ontario, I am a descendent of one of the brothers, Leo Lynch of Peterborough
yes my mothers cousins… greatgrandmother was a Lynch
Yes, to the Halifax area. I have been trying to find out when. They came over from Galway during the famine, landed in the U.S., came to Canada, became Empire Loyalists, fought on the Plains of Abraham against the French, were awarded property in Nova Scotia, which is still in family to this day. Lynch Castle in Galway was their family home.
been working on my lynch family tree and learned that i am a descendant of patrick lynch of Lydican Castle,have two john lynch brother’s that came united state’s from ireland.when i was on-line on facebook genalogy someone sent this back to me Ray O Beara You know you are related to che guevarra then look up patrick lynch lydacan claregalway.Wondering if their’s any living relative’s of patrick lynch today still living in ireland i would love to make a family connection.
my great grandfather & grandfather were both patrick lynch. & a great uncle & uncle were william lynch
If they were from 11 Ballyboes, Moville Co. Donegal, then we are related.
can anyone trace lynch to the caribbean, specifically jamaica? know of thomas lynch Jamaica’s 1st governor… but there were also lynch’s that came after the war
Trying to find some missing names to my family tree.
Does anyone know if these Lynches traced to Australia??
Our lynch family have passed down stories for generations about being related to the mayor. And the Lynch law etc.
and our coat of arms match the mayors coat of arms.
Late reply and not historically accurate, but given the “bad boy with a heart of gold” nature of every Lynch man I am related to, (and propensity to drink too much) I would not be shocked to know a few of them were shipped off to Australia as prisoners …
-Josephine Lynch
I’ve traced back 6 generations to Patrick but my dna showed up a Peruvian link…at first I was confused but now see where it may have come from!
Hi, I am a descendant of Robert Roebuck Lynch of Galway of 1621. It gets a bit fuzzy though, and always looking for help.
I can maybe share some lines going back to 1270 or so.
Let me see how I can share.
– Patrick Lynch
It is very interesting that part of the definition of lynch is unlawful murder without trial. Does that mean all the lynches are up for homicide? Is there a correlation with lycheese?
MY NAME IS VICTOR LYNCH I HAVE TRACED MY DIRECT LINEAGE TO THOMAS DE LYNCH BORN IN 1116 ANCESTRY FAMILY TREES HAVE LED HIM TO BEING MY 22ND GREAT GRANDFATHER THE MIDDLE OF MY TREE GOES FROM JAMES WILSON UP TO GEORGE ANDERSON TO WILLIAM LAXTON TO JOHN WILLIAM LYNCH TO THOMAS LYNCH TO JONACH JONAH TO THOMAS FITZ AMBROSE LYNCH PLEASE CLARIFY IF I HAVE MADE A MISTAKE AND WOULD LOVE TO CONNECT
My name is Nancy Tunstall. I am a direct descendent of John Lynch ((August 28, 1740 – October 31, 1820) was the founder of the city of Lynchburg,VA USA.) John’s father is Charles Lynch (b 1703 or 04 in Galway) who immigrated from Ireland in 1720. I have found information that Charles’ father was a Thomas Lynch; however, the link is to a Thomas Lynch who immigrated to North Carolina. I do not believe that this is correct. When Lynchburg, VA celebrated it’s 200th anniversary, my mother told me that a Lynch decendent of the father of Thomas Lynch attended and that he was from Ireland. Charles Lynch immigrant is also the father of Charles Lynch who “lynched” some of the Tories during the AMerican Revolution at his home (AVOCA) in Altavista, VA USA. Does anyone have information regarding my Lynch ancestors in Ireland? Would appreciate.
My name is victor lynch. I have been looking for a direct descendant of the lynchburg family to compare my dna to. My oldest known ancester is george lynch born 1748 came to america in 1770 fought in the revolutionary war as 3rd corporal for lancaster county Pennsylvania. my lynch line was in claiborne county tennesse for a hundred years or so and 1000s of trees state that major charles william lynch was his father but george was born in either scotland or ulster ireland in 1748 and major charles died in 1752 or so in america so that would be very hard to be the truth but not impossible. If you could Please contact me asap i would eternally apreciate it. Thank you and god bless
HI Victor,
My family is directly related to George Lynch, who fought in the Revolutionary War. He was born in Ulster, Ireland. After the war, he settled in Monroe, County, Virginia, which became West Virginia, according to my brother – also named George Lynch. I am going to copy this link and share it with him so he can respond to you if you are still checking these messages. He is the family historian!
Slainte,
Virginia Lynch
My Great-great-great grandfather was Joseph Lynch, born in Indiana in 1798. My great-great grandfather, Jesse W. Lynch, was born in Virginia in 1830, and my Great grandfather, James Woodson Lynch, was born in northwest Arkansas in 1859.
Family history, as yet unconfirmed, seen to trace the family line to the Sligo area in Ireland. However, my DNA report from 23&me traces me to the County Dublin area,in Ireland, the Liverpool area and an area south of London, and also to the Rhineland-palatinate area of Germany. This of course could be over several millenia. Can anyone give me an idea of what line of Lynches i might trace from?
Hello family. James wilson lynch was my 4th great grandfather. He was joseph lynchs’ brother. My line goes from james wilson lynch to his father george anderson lynch and his father after george b lynch born 1748 in either scotland or ulster ireland. Please contact me asap i would love to collaborate
Good afternoon Cousins. My reply here is directed to both Jo Lynch Ellis and Victor Lynch as we three (and many more out there) share a common Lynch ancestor …. the father of James Wilson Lynch and Joseph Lynch. My 4ggf was Andrew Lynch b 1805, who was a brother of James Wilson and Joseph (and several other boys including Jesse, David, George, Jeremiah). I have many Autosomal DNA matches that can be traced to most of these brothers.
Of more interest than the autosomal DNA matches are the results of my y-DNA testing. I have exact Lynch line matches to a male descendant of James Wilson Lynch. and another exact match from a Lynch descending from a line in Western Pa/Monongolia WV.
Recent research on the parents of the Claiborne Co Lynch brothers indicates the family roots lie in Grayson Co VA where many of the brothers are found at various times living with a Jesse Lynch who I now believe to be their father. Not George Lynch/George Anderson Lynch.
My tree is available online(https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/110494668/family?cfpid=160081395198). Happy to collaborate with anyone connected with this Lynch line.
Stephen Lynch
What’s the simplest way to do a DNA test, and how to use the results to find matches?
hi jo my name is sarah i am also on 23&me. my great grandfather & grandfather were both lynch. i live in ireland.am direct decendent of lynch via my mother. my dna also has me up around sligo area also dublin(but my dad was a dub)unfortunatly my grandfatjher was only one who had chilren & his mum sarah whiriskey died in childbirth.there were 6 kids altogether.& seemed to of been sent to different homes from what we can make out.none of the others had children.im not shure if any of this is helpful to you.please feell free to look me up 12&me(kelly/lynch tree)sarah mulcahy.seems theres a lot of us there
Hello we are descendants of Capt John Moore (abt 1778- 2 Mar 1849) and Margaret Joyce of Galway. Captain John was once harbour Master of Galway, followed by his son Francis Arthur Moore and then son Capt. Lawrence Patrick Moore.. Another son, my 2x Great Grandfather, is Richard John Moore Married Sarah Amelia Rawlins, (dau of Richard Rawlins Esq. and Mary Furze. We are find a number of DNA matches to the Lynch’s and are looking to see how we connect. Records for us past these names are very hard to come by. .
hi my name is amanda sweeney. Sarahs and Richards daughter Sarah Amelia Moore is my 2 x great grandmother. her son Horace james Ellis my great grandfather , his son Leonard Frederick Ellis my grandfather.
Sarah married an alfred pond but i think she had an affair with a joseph william donaldson and they ran away to birmingham, england where they had another son william joseph donaldson ellis who was sent to canada as a home child aged 10 after his father died. his mother had already died in 1885.
i cant find a marriage for sarah and joseph so i think they just added ellis and pretended to be married so their partners couldnt find them.
I recently learned that Charles Lynch (1703 Galway – 1755 Virginia) was my 6th great grandfather, as well as a Justice, a Burgess, and a Captain of the Albemarle Militia, which qualified me for admission into the General Society of Colonial Wars, of which I am a member in the Virginia Chapter. Charles had six children, one of whom, John Lynch (1740-1820), the founder of Lynchburg in 1786, was my 5th great grandfather. His older brother Charles Lynch (1736-1996) was a Justice, a Burgess, a Colonel of the Bedford Militia, and quite a controversial Revolutionary War hero for his pursuit of loyalists and royalists, though there is no evidence that he ever hanged, or lynched anyone, but he did punish, jail, fine, and sometimes force them into the conscripted military service to fight the British. His wife was one Anne Terrell, who claimed direct descent from King Alfred the Great, all off which is documented in Celeste Jane Terrell Barnhill’s remarkable book “Richmond, William, and Timothy Terrell, Colonial Virginians” 1934. In it she reported that Charles Lynch at the age of 15 fled his abusive stepmother in Galway, boarded a ship he thought bound for Europe, hid as a stowaway, overheard the crew talking about their destination in America, jumped overboard to swim back to shore, was rescued from the sea by the crew, put into shackles for the remainder of the voyage, was in Virginia then placed into redemptory servitude to pay for his passage with a kindly and wealthy planter named Christopher Clarke, who so liked the young Irishman that he educated him, released him from bondage before his debt was paid, and allowed him to marry his own daughter Sarah!
I am trying to compare my dna to a lynchburg family member because many family trees on ancestry list my ancester George B Lynch born 1748 in either scotland or ulster ireland as a son of major charles william lynch but have found no documentation to support this claim. George came to america in 1770 and was 3rd corporal in the lancaster county militia and my 4th great granduncle claimed to be a distant cousin of john lynch founder of lynchburg. Email me
I am looking for any Lynches that settled in Bridgewater Massachusetts, and then to Brockton Massachusetts and then on to New York City. There is a giant Lynch family plot in St Mary’s cemetery in Queens that are my ancestors. I am in Massachusetts. I’m not sure what time they were originally from in Ireland.
Is it me or does Thomas Lynch come up a lot? Just wondering
Allot! My grandfather was Thomas Francis lynch Jr and we’re originally from galway. There are so many my research ended about 1800 because I can’t figure out who’s who.
Weird. My grandpa was a Thomas Francis. I think I’m gonna do a dna trace to see where I’m from.
Did you get around to doing the DNA test?
Every firstborn son in my family was named Tomas for a while until I was born. Since I was a twin, it would have been unfair if only one of us was named Tomas and the other wasn’t and weird if we were both named Tomas.
The apostle Thomas ( who was a twin )was also called Didymus. One of you could have been given that name.
hi not shure if this page is still even live.my name is sarah,& i came on this page by accident but maybe even for a reason..i am also direct decendent of lynch.my great grandfather was patrick william lynch.he married a sarah whiriskey who died in childbirth. they had 6 children,patrick(my grandfather) & only one to have children with my grandmother kitty(murphy)& settled in east cork ireland.where i still live.there was also molly who became a nun(sr maura notre dame order usa)jack a priest in austraila,william,& eoin the baby who was a chemist but died just before he was due to be married..my grandfather had a shop here in youghal.& also died of alcoholism as did my uncle his son billy,my grandparents went on to have 4 girls & one boy.i have found some whiriskeys on ansestry dna but unfortunatly none have replied to me.there are a lot of them in the galway area.& my aunts & mother always remember the talk of the lynch realations up in galway.i have been trying for years to get more information on my lynch side..my dna results also have me high up in galway/munster/cavan & just over the border.
Not sure how to jump in here, so I will just leap. It is my understanding that I am descended from Lynches who were mayors of Galway. My great-great-great-grandfather (I might be missing one “great”) was Dominick Lynch, born in Galway in 1754 to James Lynch. He emigrated to Bruges, Belgium, and then to New York, where he was a wine merchant and neighbor of George Washington, attending his inauguration. He was offered a small tract of land in downtown New York City, or a large one in upstate New York. He chose the latter. He named the town Lynchville, but the residents protested and he called it Rome, NY. The streets of Rome are named after his 13 children. One of his grandchildren (or great granchildren) was Jasper Lynch, who settled in Lakewood, NJ, where he built a castle of sorts. He and his wife had three girls, so the Lynch name did not live on in that line. My grandmother was one of them, Louise Foster Lynch. Her mother was a Cartwright. I am mainly interested in finding Cartwrights, another interesting family from northern England.
Dominick’s children were James, Anastatia, Anthony, Dominick, Alexander, Margaret, Jasper, Jane, Henry, Harriet, Louisa, Edward and William.
Any clues? I have no knowledge of a connection with Virginia or Baltimore.
Not sure how this fits in but should help fill in some gaps. My maternal grandmother is Mary Agnes Lynch and married Macdara Joyce (both b. around 1900). They lived in Timmins Ont. Canada. My mother and father lived in Boston. My mother would talk about a distant cousins (Thomas Lynch Sr. and Jr.) who signed the Declaration of Independence. I moved to coastal South Carolina from Boston and heard about the father and son Lynch signing the DoI. and they lived near where I currently reside. Their plantation which unfortunately became the property of another family around 1800ish because Jr. never had a male heir and he and his wife were lost at sea as they were traveling to France to seek help for jr’s malaria. I’ve tried to connect my lineage from them to my grandmothers parents and failed to locate the generations between Sr’s family in Ireland to my family around 1850ish. As a side note. Sr and jr both travelled from SC to Philadelphia where sr was an advisor to then General G Washington and jr was an officer in Washington’s army out of South Carolina.
there was a Thomas Fitzsimons 1741-1811, contemporary, born somewhere in Ireland, died at Philadelphia.
Interesting. Thomas lynch jr (as we were told) was my 3x grandmother cousin. Her name we believe was Margaret Lynch but could have gone by the name Jane. She was born in Meath Ireland 1810. It is believed her dad must have stayed behind (or traveled back to Ireland) since jonack lynch was her and Thomas jr grandfather. Margaret married Patrick mckiernan and had daughter named Catherine
Mckiernan (verified my 2 grandmother) born meath or antrim in 1829. Catherine settled in Middlesex nj marrying William Teston in 1860’s.