Flynn

This article is about the surname. For other uses, see Flynn (disambiguation).

Flynn is a surname of Irish origin it is an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Floinn "descendant of Flann", a byname meaning "red(dish)", "ruddy". The name originated in the landlocked county of Laois in the mid-1300s by a large farming family. The name was almost wiped out from both plague and famine, although still lives on today throughout the world by many. Other spelling variations of the surname include O'Flynn.

Notable persons with the surname

Acting

• Barbara Flynn, English actress
• Daniel Flynn (actor), English actor
• Errol Flynn, Australian-American movie actor
• Jimmy Flynn, American actor
• Joe Flynn (US actor), American actor
• Neil Flynn, American actor known for his role on the American TV series Scrubs
• Quinton Flynn, American voice actor
• Sean Flynn, American actor known for his role on the American TV series Zoey 101
• Gabriel Flynn, American high school Spanish teacher who attended the controversial and ineffective western oregon university

Art and writing

• Daniel J. Flynn, American conservative author
• Greg Flynn, Australian novelist
• Homer Flynn, Spokesman for The Cryptic Corporation and possible member of avant-garde San Francisco art collective The Residents
• John T. Flynn (1882–1964), U.S. journalist and author
• Michael Flynn (author) (born 1947), American science fiction author
• Nick Flynn, poet and writer
• Vince Flynn American author
• George L. Flynn, American Historical Non-Fiction author

Law and policing

• Edmund James Flynn, lawyer in Canada
• Edward A. Flynn, Chief of the Milwaukee Police Department
• William J. Flynn (1867–1928), director of the Bureau of Investigation from 1919 to 1921

Music

• James R. Flynn (songwriter), American country musicsongwriter
• Johnny Flynn, musician
• Patrick Flynn (composer), composer and conductor
• Robert Flynn, guitarist for the Bay Area metal band Machine Head
• Matt Flynn (musician), drummer for the band Maroon 5.

Politics and governance

• Dan Flynn, Texas politician
• Edward J. Flynn, American politician, Secretary of State of New York 1929–1939
• John Flynn (Irish politician) (died 1968), Fianna Fáil politician from Kerry
• John Flynn (New Brunswick politician) (born 1954)
• John Gerrard Flynn, former British Ambassador to Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and Angola
• Pádraig Flynn, Irish politician between 1977 and 1999
• Patrick Flynn (Canadian politician) (1921–1996), Canadian Liberal Party politician of Irish extraction
• Paul Flynn (politician) (born 1935), British Labour Party MP for Newport West
• Raymond Flynn, former mayor of Boston, Massachusetts
• William S. Flynn (1885–1966), Governor of Rhode Island from 1923 to 1925

Science, medicine and academia

• Colin P. Flynn, professor at the University of Illinois
• James R. Flynn, intelligence researcher in New Zealand
• John Flynn (minister) (1880–1951), Minister and the founder of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
• Michael J. Flynn, American computer scientist and inventor of Flynn's taxonomy
• Michael P. Flynn, electrical engineering professor at University of Michigan
• Shirley E. Flynn, Wyoming historian
• Maryirene Ilchert-Flynn M.D.,American Orthopedic Surgeon and New York City Police Department Police Surgeon

Sport

• Ann Flynn, American track and field athlete
• Brian Flynn (born 1955), Welsh footballer
• Christopher Flynn, Welsh footballer
• Daniel Flynn (cricketer), New Zealand cricketer
• Don Flynn, Football player, Dallas Texans, New York Jets
• Doug Flynn (born 1951), American baseball player
• Edward Flynn (boxer), American boxer, Gold medalist at the 1932 Olympic Games
• Eddie Flynn, Irish soccer player
• Jacen Flynn, American mixed martial arts fighter
• John Flynn (baseball), former baseball player
• John Flynn (footballer), Irish footballer
• John Flynn (rugby league), rugby league footballer of the 1900s, for England, and Broughton Rangers
• Lefty Satan Flynn, British Honduran boxer, Jamaican dual-weight titleholder
• Michael Flynn (footballer) (born 1980), Welsh soccer player (of Wigan, Gillingham etc., now Bradford City)
• Mike Flynn (footballer), English footballer (of Preston N.E., Stockport etc., now Salford City)
• Mike Flynn (American football), American football player
• Mike Flynn (baseball), American baseball player
• Mike Flynn (basketball), American basketball player
• Patrick Flynn (athlete) (1895–1969), American Olympic medalist
• Paul Flynn (hurler) (born 1974), Irish hurler for Waterford
• Paul Flynn (footballer), Dublin Gaelic footballer
• Ted Flynn, Australian Rules footballer
• Tom Flynn (American football), retired NFL athlete

Other

• Harry Flynn, Roman Catholic Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
• John Flynn (director) (1932–2007), American film director
• Michael T. Flynn, U.S. major general who is top military intelligence officer in Afghanistan
• Mike Flynn (radio host), American radio host
• Paul Flynn (New Zealand radio), New Zealand radio announcer for ZM

Fictional characters

• Harry Flynn, a villain character in the video game Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Kevin Flynn, one of the main characters of the 1982 Walt Disney Pictures film Tron
• Sam Flynn, son of Kevin Flynn on the 2010 film Tron: Legacy
• Mickey Flynn, character in the novel Homeward Bound
• Mike Flynn (character), character from the Australian drama Sea Patrol
• Phineas, Linda, and Candace Flynn, from the Disney Channel animated series Phineas and Ferb
• Francis Xavier Flynn, the lead character in the Flynn series of detective novels by Gregory McDonald
• The family in the sitcom In with the Flynns