Guerin: Surname Meaning and Family History

One of the most common meanings of the Ward surname is guard or watchman.
Royal guardsman outside the Tower of London. Getty / Arthur Tilley

The Guerin surname derives from the Old French guarin or guerin, meaning "to watch or guard." Gwaren is the Welsh variation of the surname, Guarin the Spanish, and Warren is a common Anglicized version.

Surname Origin: French, Irish, Welsh (Gwaren)

Alternate Surname Spellings: GEURIN, GEREN, GARIN, GUERRIN, GUERREN, GUERINNE, GUERREIN, GERIN, GWAREN, GUARIN

Famous People with the Guerin Surname

  • Veronica Guerin: Irish crime reporter
  • William Robert "Bill" Guerin: American former professional ice hockey player; assistant general manager of the NHL Pittsburgh Penguins
  • Jean-Baptiste Paulin Guérin: French painter
  • Jean-Marie Camille Guérin: French immunologist
  • Gilles Guérin: French sculptor

Where the Guerin Surname is Most Common

Not unsurprisingly, the Guerin surname is most commonly found in France, according to surname distribution data from Forebears; it ranks as the 59th most common last name in the country. It is also somewhat common in Ireland (ranked 714th) and Canada (933rd).

WorldNames PublicProfiler indicates the Guerin surname is especially frequent in northwestern France, specifically Bregagne (Brittany), Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes, and Centre-Val de Loire.

Genealogy Resources for the Surname Guerin

Sources

  • Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.
  • Dorward, David. Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.
  • Fucilla, Joseph. Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.
  • Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.
  • Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.
  • Reaney, P.H. A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.
  • Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997
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Powell, Kimberly. "Guerin: Surname Meaning and Family History." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/guerin-surname-meaning-and-origin-4098190. Powell, Kimberly. (2020, August 27). Guerin: Surname Meaning and Family History. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/guerin-surname-meaning-and-origin-4098190 Powell, Kimberly. "Guerin: Surname Meaning and Family History." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/guerin-surname-meaning-and-origin-4098190 (accessed April 26, 2024).