Flynn

Flynn is an Irish surname or first name, an anglicised form of the Irish Ó Floinn or possibly Mac Floinn, meaning "descendant or son 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's 1849 works, the modern descendants of Lugaid mac Con include the O'Driscolls, O'Learys, Coffeys, Hennessys and Flynns of County Cork. According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Flynns, along with the O'Coffeys, O'Dinneens, O'Driscolls, O'Heas, O'Hennessys and O'Learys, were chiefly families of the Corca Laoghdne tribe who in turn came from the Erainn tribe who were the second wave of Celts to settle in Ireland from 500 to 100 BC.

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 (1934–2022), American actor
 * Joe Flynn (American actor) (1924–1974), American actor
 * Lara Flynn Boyle (born 1970), American actress
 * 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

 * Bess Flynn, (1886-1976), American actress and writer of radio soap operas
 * Daniel J. Flynn, American conservative writer
 * Gillian Flynn (born 1971), American writer
 * Greg Flynn, Australian novelist
 * Kitty Flynn (born 1926), Irish author
 * John T. Flynn (1882–1964), American journalist and writer
 * Michael Flynn (writer) (1947–2023), American science fiction writer
 * Nick Flynn (born 1960), poet and writer
 * Tom Flynn (author) (1955–2021), American writer and journalist
 * Vince Flynn (1966–2013), American writer

Law and policing

 * Dennis J. Flynn (born 1942), American lawyer and judge
 * Edmund James Flynn (1847–1927), Canadian lawyer and politician
 * Edward A. Flynn (born c. 1948), American law enforcement executive
 * William J. Flynn (1867–1928), director of the Bureau of Investigation from 1919 to 1921

Music

 * Billy Flynn (musician) (born 1956), American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter
 * Charles O'Flynn, American songwriter
 * Dave Flynn (born 1977), Irish composer and musician
 * Jim Flynn (songwriter) (1938–2019), American country music songwriter
 * Johnny Flynn (born 1983), British actor and singer-songwriter
 * Liam O'Flynn, traditional Irish musician
 * Matt Flynn (musician) (born 1970), American musician and record producer, of Maroon 5
 * Patrick Flynn (composer) (1936–2008), composer and conductor
 * Patti Flynn (1937–2020), jazz singer, author, radio actress, model and social activist
 * Robb Flynn, American musician
 * Trapper Flynn (Born 1977), American musician, actor and cannabis activist

Politics and governance

 * Dan Flynn (politician) (1943–2022), Texas politician
 * Dennis Flynn (1923–2003), Canadian politician
 * Edward J. Flynn (1891–1953), American politician
 * Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (1890–1964), political activist
 * Gerald T. Flynn (1910–1990), U.S. representative from Wisconsin
 * John Flynn (Irish politician) (died 1968), Fianna Fáil politician from Kerry
 * John Flynn (New Brunswick politician) (1954–2021), Canadian bank manager and politician
 * John Gerrard Flynn (born 1937), former British Ambassador to Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and Angola
 * Marty Flynn (born 1975), American politician
 * Michael Flynn (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) (1921–1996), Canadian Liberal Party politician of Irish extraction
 * Paul Flynn (politician) (1935–2019), British Labour Party MP for Newport West
 * Raymond Flynn (born 1939), former mayor of Boston, Massachusetts

Science, medicine and academe

 * Colin P. Flynn, professor at the University of Illinois
 * Ida M. Flynn (1942–2004) American computer scientist, textbook author, and professor
 * James Robert Flynn, a.k.a. Jim Flynn (1934–2020), 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 (1938–2021), American high jumper
 * Brian Flynn (born 1955), Welsh footballer
 * Brian Flynn (baseball) (born 1990), American professional baseball player
 * Brian Flynn (ice hockey) (born 1988), hockey player, Buffalo Sabres
 * Charlie Flynn (born 1993), Scottish boxer
 * Christopher Flynn (born 1987), Welsh footballer
 * Daniel Flynn (cricketer) (born 1985), New Zealand cricketer
 * Don Flynn (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 (1919–2002), Irish soccer player
 * Furlong Flynn (1901-1977), American football player and aviation pioneer
 * George Flynn (baseball) (1871–1901), professional baseball player; outfielder in the Major Leagues in 1896; played for the Chicago Colts
 * John Flynn (baseball) (1883–1935), former baseball player
 * John Flynn (footballer, born 1948), English footballer
 * John Flynn (rugby league), rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s
 * Jonny Flynn (born 1989), American basketball player
 * JP Flynn (born 1993), American football player
 * Lefty Satan Flynn (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) (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, Irish race horse trainer
 * Paul Flynn (Gaelic footballer) (born 1986), Dublin Gaelic footballer
 * Paul Flynn (Waterford hurler) (born 1974), Irish hurler for Waterford
 * Ray Flynn (athlete) (born 1957), Irish middle-distance runner
 * Ryan Flynn (footballer) (born 1988), Sheffield United and Scottish footballer
 * Ted Flynn (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
 * Mike Flynn (radio host), American radio host

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, fictional character in Survival of the Dead
 * 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
 * Patrick O'Flynn, fictional character
 * Phineas, Linda, and Candace Flynn, from the Disney Channel 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
 * Flynn, default name for the protagonist of Shin Megami Tensei IV
 * Flynn Carsen, 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.
 * Flynn Moore, primary character in the visual novel "ECHO."