Flynn is an Irish surname or first name, an

anglicised Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

form of the Irish ''Ó Floinn'', meaning "descendant of Flann" (a byname meaning "reddish (complexion)" or "ruddy"). The name is more commonly used as a surname rather than a first name. According to

John O'Donovan John O'Donovan may refer to: *John O'Donovan (scholar) (1806–1861), Irish language scholar and place-name expert *John O'Donovan (politician) (1908–1982), Irish TD and Senator *John O'Donovan (police commissioner) (1858–1927), New Zealand pol ...

's 1849 works, the modern descendants of Lugaid mac Con include the O'Driscolls, O'Learys, Coffeys, Hennessys and Flynns of County Cork.

(ed.) "The Genealogy of Corca Laidhe", i
Miscellany of the Celtic Society
Dublin. 1849
alternative scan

Notable persons with the surname

Acting

* Barbara Flynn (born 1948), English actress * Brandon Flynn (born 1993), American actor * Daniel Flynn (actor) (born 1961), English actor * Errol Flynn (1909–1959), Australian-American movie actor * Jerome Flynn (born 1963), English actor and singer *

Jimmy Flynn James P. Flynn (5 February 1934 – 12 September 2022) was an American teamster and film actor. He was a reputed member of the famous Winter Hill Gang. He appeared in films including ''Good Will Hunting'', ''The Cider House Rules (film), The Cid ...

(1934-2022), American actor *

Joe Flynn (American actor) Joseph Anthony Flynn III (November 8, 1924 – July 19, 1974) was an American character actor. He was best known for his role as Captain Wallace Binghamton in the 1960s ABC television situation comedy '' McHale's Navy''. He was also a frequent gu ...

(1924–1974), American actor * Miriam Flynn (born 1952), American character and voice actress * Neil Flynn (born 1960), American actor known for his role on the American TV series ''Scrubs'' * Quinton Flynn (born 1964), American voice actor * , American actor known for his role on the American TV series ''Zoey 101''

Art and writing

Daniel J. Flynn Daniel J. Flynn is an American author and columnist. He is a senior editor at ''The American Spectator''. He has written for the ''Los Angeles Times'', the ''Chicago Tribune'', the ''Boston Globe'', the ''New York Post'', ''City Journal'', and '' ...

, American conservative writer * Gillian Flynn (born 1971), American writer * Greg Flynn, Australian novelist *

John T. Flynn John Thomas Flynn (October 25, 1882 – April 13, 1964) was an American journalist best known for his opposition to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and to American entry into World War II. In September 1940, Flynn helped establish the America Fi ...

(1882–1964), U.S. journalist and writer * Michael Flynn (writer) (born 1947), American science fiction writer * Nick Flynn (born 1960), poet and writer * Tom Flynn (author) (born 1955), journalist * Vince Flynn (1966–2013), American writer

Law and policing

* Edmund James Flynn (1847–1927), attorney in Canada *

Edward A. Flynn Edward A. Flynn (born 1948) is an American law enforcement executive. From 2008 until 2018, Flynn served as chief of the Milwaukee Police Department. Prior to assuming that position, he served as secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of ...

(born c. 1948), Chief of the Milwaukee Police Department * William J. Flynn (1867–1928), director of the Bureau of Investigation from 1919 to 1921

Music

Billy Flynn (musician) Billy Flynn (born August 11, 1956) is an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. In addition to his own work and works mentioned later, he has worked and recorded with Bryan Lee, Little Smokey Smothers, Ma ...

(born 1956), American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter *

Charles O'Flynn Charles O'Flynn (1897–1964) was an American songwriter. He was active during the Tin Pan Alley era - specifically from 1921 to 1947. One of O'Flynn's most famous lyrics was for the popular song " Smile, Darn Ya, Smile", which later appeared in ...

, American songwriter * Dave Flynn (born 1977), Irish composer and musician * Jim Flynn (songwriter) (born 1938), American country music songwriter *

Johnny Flynn (musician) John Patrick Vivian Flynn (born 14 March 1983) is a British actor and singer-songwriter. He has starred as Dylan Witter in the Channel 4 and Netflix television sitcom '' Lovesick'', and portrayed David Bowie in the film '' Stardust''. Flynn i ...

(born 1983), musician * Liam O'Flynn, traditional Irish musician * Matt Flynn (musician) (born 1970), drummer for the band Maroon 5 *

Patrick Flynn (composer) Patrick Flynn (18 May 1936, Birmingham, England — 10 September 2008, Los Angeles, California) was a composer and conductor who was active in the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia. Flynn conducted for many prominent orche ...

(1936–2008), composer and conductor *

Patti Flynn Patti Flynn (born Patricia Maude Young, 1937 – 10 September 2020) was a jazz singer, author, model and social activist. She was a founder and patron of Black History Wales. In 2019 she was honoured with the Ethnic Minority Welsh Women Ach ...

(1937–2020), jazz singer, author, radio actress, model and social activist *

Robert Flynn Robert Conrad Flynn (born Lawrence Matthew Cardine; July 19, 1967) is an American musician who is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for heavy metal band Machine Head. Flynn formed the band along with Adam Duce, Logan Mader and Tony Cos ...

, guitarist for the Bay Area metal band Machine Head

Politics and governance

Dan Flynn (politician) Daniel Archie Flynn, (February 21, 1943 – October 28, 2022) was an American businessman and rancher from Van, Texas, who was from 2003 to 2021 a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 2 (Hopkins, Hunt, and Van Z ...

(born 1943), Texas politician * Dennis Flynn, Canadian politician (1923–2003), 5th Toronto Metro Chairman 1984–1987 *

Edward J. Flynn Edward Joseph Flynn (September 22, 1891 – August 18, 1953) was an American lawyer and politician. Flynn was a leading Democratic politician of the mid-twentieth-century, known for his tight control of the Bronx Democratic Party organization af ...

(1891–1953), American politician, Secretary of State of New York 1929–1939 * Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (1890–1964), political activist *

John Flynn (Irish politician) John Flynn (10 November 1891 – 22 August 1968) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1932 to 1943 and 1948 to 1957. A farmer by profession, he was first elected as a Fianna Fáil TD at the 1932 general ...

(died 1968), Fianna Fáil politician from Kerry *

John Flynn (New Brunswick politician) John Patrick Flynn (February 10, 1954 – December 4, 2021) was a former bank manager and political figure in New Brunswick, Canada. He represented York in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1995 to 1999 as a Liberal member. He ...

(born 1954), former bank manager and political figure in New Brunswick, Canada; represented York in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1995 to 1999 as a Liberal member *

John Gerrard Flynn John Gerrard Flynn (born 23 April 1937) is a former British Foreign Office diplomat. He joined the Foreign Office in 1965 and was sent to Lusaka the following year. He also served in the following positions: * Assistant Director, Canning House ...

(born 1937), former British Ambassador to Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and Angola * Marty Flynn (born 1975), American politician *

Michael Flynn Michael Thomas Flynn (born December 24, 1958) is a retired United States Army lieutenant general and conspiracy theorist who was the 24th U.S. National Security Advisor for the first 22 days of the Trump administration. He resigned in light of ...

(born 1958), retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General and former National Security Advisor * Noriko Sawada Bridges Flynn (1923–2003), civil rights activist * Pádraig Flynn (born 1939), Irish politician between 1977 and 1999 *

Patrick Flynn (Canadian politician) Patrick Joseph (Joe) Flynn (September 8, 1921 – June 9, 1996) was an Irish-born, Canadian politician. He served as a Liberal Member of Parliament representing Kitchener, Ontario from 1974 until 1979. His younger brother Dennis Flynn (birth ...

(1921–1996), Canadian Liberal Party politician of Irish extraction * Paul Flynn (politician) (1935–2019), British Labour Party MP for Newport West *

Raymond Flynn Raymond Leo Flynn (born July 22, 1939) is an American politician who served as 52nd Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts from 1984 until 1993. He also served as United States Ambassador to the Holy See from 1993–1997. Flynn was an All-American c ...

(born 1939), former mayor of Boston, Massachusetts

Science, medicine and academe

Colin P. Flynn C. Peter Flynn (August 18, 1935 – October 27, 2011) was a Professor of Physics and of Materials Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Professor Flynn was on the faculty of the University of Illinois from 1960 until 2011 and s ...

, professor at the University of Illinois *

Ida M. Flynn Ida Latizia Anna Maria Flynn (born Moretti; February 12, 1942 – April 12, 2004) was an American computer scientist, academic department director, textbook author, and professor. She specialized in operating systems, which was the subject of a te ...

(1942–2004) American computer scientist, textbook author, and professor * James Robert Flynn, a.k.a. Jim Flynn (born 1934), intelligence researcher in New Zealand (the Flynn effect) * John Flynn (minister) (1880–1951), Minister; founder of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia * Michael J. Flynn (born 1934), American computer scientist and inventor of Flynn's taxonomy

Sport

Ann Marie Flynn Ann Marie Flynn (August 17, 1938 – July 22, 2021) was a female high jumper from the United States, who competed in the 1950s and 1960s for her native country. She was born in New York City and was a member of the German-American Athletic Club ...

(born 1938), American high jumper *

Brian Flynn Brian Flynn may refer to: * Brian Flynn (footballer) (born 1955), Welsh football manager * Brian Flynn (baseball) (born 1990), American baseball player * Brian Flynn (cricketer) (1929-1986), Australian cricketer * Brian Flynn (ice hockey) Brian ...

(born 1955), Welsh footballer * Brian Flynn (baseball) (born 1990), American professional baseball player * Brian Flynn (ice hockey) (born 1988), hockey player, Buffalo Sabres *

Christopher Flynn Christopher Flynn (born 5 November 1987) is a Welsh footballer who plays for Nantwich Town. Career Born in Market Drayton, England, Flynn is one of many players to be produced by the Crewe Alexandra production line. He first joined the club at ...

(born 1987), Welsh footballer * Daniel Flynn (cricketer) (born 1985), New Zealand cricketer *

Don Flynn Donald Max Flynn (September 14, 1934, in Durant, Oklahoma – April 14, 2010) was an All-American quarterback, NFL quarterback, soldier and businessman. He grew up in Texas, lettering in baseball, basketball and football for MVP again his sen ...

(1934–2010), football player, Dallas Texans, New York Jets * Doug Flynn (born 1951), American baseball player * Edward Flynn (boxer) (1909–1976), American boxer, gold medalist at the 1932 Olympic Games *

Eddie Flynn Eddie Flynn (5 November 1919 – 6 March 2002) was an Irish professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper in the League of Ireland during the 1930s and 1940s. Flynn played for St James's Gate F.C., Bohemian F.C., Cliftonville F.C. and ...

(1919–2002), Irish soccer player * Furlong Flynn (1901-1977), American football player and aviation pioneer *

George Flynn (baseball) George Albert Flynn (May 24, 1871 – December 28, 1901) was a professional baseball player who was an outfielder in the Major Leagues in 1896. He would play for the Chicago Colts The following is a North American professional sports league ...

(1871–1901), professional baseball player; outfielder in the Major Leagues in 1896; played for the Chicago Colts *

John Flynn (baseball) John Anthony Flynn (September 7, 1883 – March 23, 1935) was a first baseman in Major League Baseball between 1910 and 1912. He attended the College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college ...

(1883–1935), former baseball player * John Flynn (footballer, born 1948), English footballer *

John Flynn (rugby league) John "Jack" Flynn (birth 1884 – death Kia in France 18/4/1918)was an born in Whitehaven An English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s. He played for his hometown club Whitehaven Recreation and Parton before attractin ...

, rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s * Jonny Flynn (born 1989), American basketball player *

JP Flynn John Paul Flynn (born August 30, 1993) is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Montana State. College career Flynn started in 43 consecutive games for Montana State. Flynn earned Al ...

(born 1993), American football player *

Lefty Satan Flynn Lefty 'Satan' Flynn (born 17 March 1917) born Selvin Campbell in British Honduras (present day Belize) was a professional boxer. Flynn also known as ''His Satanic Majesty'' fought out of Jamaica becoming Jamaican featherweight and later welter ...

(1917–?), British Honduran boxer, Jamaican dual-weight titleholder * Malachi Flynn (born 1998), American basketball player * Matt Flynn (born 1985), American football player * Michael Flynn (footballer) (born 1980), Welsh soccer player (of Wigan, Gillingham etc., now Bradford City) * Mike Flynn (American football) (born 1974), American football player *

Mike Flynn (baseball) Michael J. Flynn (March 15, 1872 – June 16, 1941) was a Major League Baseball catcher, at least for one day, during the 1891 season. He was born in County Kildare, Ireland. He played in one game for the Boston Reds of the American Associatio ...

(1872–1941), American baseball player * Mike Flynn (basketball) (born 1953), American basketball player * Mike Flynn (footballer) (born 1969), English footballer (of Preston N.E., Stockport etc., now Salford City) * Patrick Flynn (athlete) (1894–1969), American Olympic medalist *

Patrick J. Flynn Patrick J. Flynn is a successful race horse trainer. Among the winners that he has trained are: Alalja, winner of: *1992 Debutante Stakes (Ireland) Montelado, winner of: *1992 Champion Bumper *1993 Supreme Novices' Hurdle Salmon Eile, winner o ...

, Irish race horse trainer *

Paul Flynn (Gaelic footballer) Paul Flynn (born 8 July 1986) is a Gaelic footballer who plays for Fingallians and, formerly, for the Dublin county team. He is from Swords, County Dublin. He has received four All Star Awards in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and represented Irela ...

(born 1986), Dublin Gaelic footballer *

Paul Flynn (Waterford hurler) Paul Flynn (born 17 December 1974) is an Irish former hurler who played as a left wing-forward at senior level for the Waterford county team. He joined the team in 1993 and was a regular member of the starting fifteen until his retirement in ...

(born 1974), Irish hurler for Waterford * Ray Flynn (athlete) (born 1957), Irish middle-distance runner *

Ryan Flynn (footballer) Ryan Flynn (born 4 September 1988) is a Scottish footballer, who plays as a midfielder for St Mirren. Born in Edinburgh, he started his career with Liverpool before spells at Wrexham, Falkirk, Sheffield United and Oldham Athletic. He has also r ...

(born 1988), Sheffield United and Scottish footballer *

Ted Flynn Daniel Edward Flynn (14 June 1880 – 11 June 1965) was an Australian rules footballer. In a very brief career with the Essendon Football Club, Flynn managed just one game during the 1903 season in the Victorian Football League The Victo ...

(1880–1965), Australian Rules footballer * Tom Flynn (American football) (born 1962), retired NFL athlete

Other

* Harry Joseph Flynn (1933–2019), American Roman Catholic Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis * John Flynn (director) (1932–2007), American film director *

Michael T. Flynn Michael Thomas Flynn (born December 24, 1958) is a retired United States Army lieutenant general and conspiracy theorist who was the 24th U.S. National Security Advisor for the first 22 days of the Trump administration. He resigned in light of ...

(born 1958), U.S. major general; top military intelligence officer in Afghanistan *

Mike Flynn (radio host) ''The Folk Sampler'' was a nationally syndicated show, produced and hosted by Mike Flynn, that showcased folk music, folk, blues, and bluegrass music both modern and old. History Originating as a 15-minute program at WMBI-FM, WMBI in Chicago by ...

, American radio host * Robyn Flynn, Canadian radio host at

CKGM CKGM ('' TSN 690 Montreal'') is an English-language AM radio station in Montreal, Quebec, owned by Bell Media Radio. Formerly an affiliate of sports radio network " The Team," it was one of three stations to retain the sports format after the ...

in Montreal

Characters

* Billy Flynn, character from the musical ''Chicago'' * Flynn Rider, character from the animated film '' Tangled'' * Harry Flynn, a villain character in the video game '' Uncharted 2: Among Thieves'' * Helen Flynn, character from '' Spooks'' *

Janet O'Flynn ''Survival of the Dead'' is a 2009 horror film written and directed by George A. Romero and starring Alan van Sprang, Kenneth Welsh and Kathleen Munroe. It is the sixth entry in Romero's ''Night of the Living Dead'' series. The story follows a ...

, fictional character in ''Survival of the Dead'' * Kevin Flynn, one of the main characters of the 1982 Walt Disney Pictures film '' Tron'' *

Sam Flynn This article covers notable characters of the ''Tron'' franchise, including all of its various cinematic, literary, video game adaptations and sequels. Development For the first film, Richard Rickitt explains that to "produce the characters ...

, son of Kevin Flynn on the 2010 film '' Tron: Legacy'' *

Mickey Flynn Michael Thomas Flynn (born December 24, 1958) is a retired United States Army Lieutenant general (United States), lieutenant general and conspiracy theorist who was the 24th U.S. National Security Advisor for the first 22 days of the Trump admi ...

, character in the novel ''Homeward Bound'' * Patrick O'Flynn, fictional character *

Phineas Phineas () is a masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Phineas, an Anglicized name for the priest Phinehas in the Hebrew Bible * King Phineas, the first king of the Beta Israel in Ethiopia * Phineas Banning (1830–1885), Am ...

, Linda, and

Candace Flynn The following is a character list of main and secondary characters on the Disney Channel Original Series, Disney Channel series ''Phineas and Ferb''. Main characters Phineas Flynn Phineas Flynn (voiced by Vincent Martella) is the main charac ...

, from the

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

animated series '' Phineas and Ferb'' * Inspector Francis Xavier Flynn, the main character in a series of detective novels by Gregory Mcdonald * The Flynn family in the sitcom '' In with the Flynns'' * "Flynn", preferred nickname for Walter White Jr. in season 2 and sporadically onwards of AMC's ''

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...

'' * Flynn, default name for the protagonist of ''

Shin Megami Tensei IV is a Japanese post-apocalyptic role-playing video game developed by Atlus for the Nintendo 3DS. It is part of the ''Shin Megami Tensei'' series, the central series of the ''Megami Tensei'' franchise, though no direct story connection exists to ...

'' *

Flynn Carsen Flynn is an Irish surname or first name, an anglicised form of the Irish ''Ó Floinn'', meaning "descendant of Flann" (a byname meaning "reddish (complexion)" or "ruddy"). The name is more commonly used as a surname rather than a first name. ...

, main protagonist in '' The Librarian'' films and also guest star in the spin-off TV series '' The Librarians'' *Father Brendan Flynn, character from the play '' Doubt'' *Flynne Fisher, protagonist in ''The Peripheral''.

References

{{surname Surnames of Irish origin English-language surnames