The surname may be of English or Irish origin. In England it was a topographical name for someone who lived on a slope or hillside, derived from the Old English ‘hlinc’. It may also be a habitational name from Lynch in Somerset or Linch in Sussex, both of which are named with this word. The Irish have used the name as an anglicization of the Gaelic name O’Loingsigh, the descendant of Loingsigh, a personal name meaning ‘mariner’. It is also the anglicization of the Gaelic name Linseach, itself a Gaelicized form of the Anglo-Norman-French name ‘de Lench’, the version found in old records. It appears to be a local name, but its origin is unknown. One family of bearers of this name were of Norman origin, but became one of the most important tribes in a region of Ireland, Galway. A bearer of this name, an Irishman of descent, was a signatory of the Declaration of Independance, Thomas Lynch (1749-79). The name passed into the English language due to General Charles Lynch (1736-96), whose arbitary and cruel administration of justice in Virginia became known as ‘Lynch law’. The name dates back to the twelfth century were a Gilbert de la Lynche is recorded in historical arc…
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