Cunningham - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Cuinneagáin
Meaning: descendant of little Conn
Traditional stronghold: Galway, Antrim
Pronunciation: KUN-ing-um; Irish Ó Cuinneagáin: oh KWIN-eh-gawn
History of the Cunningham name
Cunningham is a Scottish territorial surname from the district of Cunninghame in Ayrshire, brought to Ulster in large numbers by 17th-century planters. In Ireland, however, it was also widely adopted as the English form of several unrelated Gaelic names, chiefly Ó Cuinneagáin and Mac Cuinneagáin of Donegal and the Uí Maine country of Galway and Roscommon, and Ó Connagáin of Sligo, all built on the personal name Conn. As a result Irish Cunninghams may be of planter Scottish stock, especially in Antrim, Down and Donegal, or of old Gaelic descent, especially in Connacht. The name is now among the most numerous in Ireland, spread across all four provinces.
Variants: Kinnegan · Cunnigan · Conaghan
Famous bearers of the name
- Larry Cunningham - Longford showband star, the first Irish artist to reach the British charts with Tribute to Jim Reeves.
- Liam Cunningham - Dublin actor known worldwide as Davos Seaworth in Game of Thrones.
- Joseph Cunningham - Founder with his family of the Sunshine House charity holiday home tradition in Dublin.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Kelly · Lynch · Quinn · Connolly · Burke · Clarke · Hughes · McDonnell