Cullen (surname)

Cullen is an Irish surname. It is an Anglicised form of Gaelic Ó Cuileáin 'descendant of Cuileán', a name meaning 'wolfhound whelp', 'young hound'.[1][2] It is also considered by some to mean the 'handsome one'.[3] The Uí Cuileáin of County Tyrone were erenaghs of Clogher.[4] According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Cullanes were one of the chiefly families of the Uí Fidgenti who were a tribe of the Erainn who were the second wave of Celts to settle in Ireland between about 500 and 100 BC.[5]

Cullen is also found as a surname in Scotland and England; an example being the Cullen baronets.

  1. ^ Quinn, Sean E. (2000). Surnames in Ireland. Irish Genealogy Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-871509-39-7.
  2. ^ Neafsey, Edward (2002). The Surnames of Ireland: Origins and Numbers of Selected Irish Surnames. Irish Roots Cafe. ISBN 978-0-940134-97-3.
  3. ^ "Cullen Coat of Arms, Family Crest - Free Image to View - Cullen Name Origin History and Meaning of Symbols". www.irishsurnames.com.
  4. ^ Muhr, Kay; hAisibéil, Liam Ó (19 October 2021). The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names of Ireland. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-252478-2.
  5. ^ Cairney, C. Thomas (1989). Clans and Families of Ireland and Scotland. Jefferson, North Carolina, United States, and London: McFarland & Company. pp. 61, 71. ISBN 0899503624.