Irish: reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Loingsigh
‘descendant of Loingseach’, a personal name meaning ‘mariner’
(from long ‘ship’). This is now a common surname in Ireland but
of different local origins, for example chieftain families in counties
Antrim and Tipperary, while in Ulster and Connacht there were families
called Ó Loingseacháin who later shortened their name to
Ó Loingsigh and also Anglicized it as Lynch.
Irish (Anglo-Norman): Anglicized form of Gaelic Linseach,
itself a Gaelicized form of Anglo-Norman French de Lench, the
version found in old records. This seems to be a local name, but its
origin is unknown. One family of bearers of this name was of Norman
origin, but became one of the most important tribes of
Galway.
English: topographic name for someone who lived on a slope
or hillside, Old English hlinc, or perhaps a habitational name
from Lynch in Dorset or Somerset or Linch in Sussex, all named with
this word.
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
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