Gunn

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A family name of Scottish and English origin, borne by people such as the poet Thom Gunn and the fictional sailor Ben Gunn
2. A surname of Scottish and English origin, carried by various notable people including the poet Thom Gunn
3. Denotes a Scottish and English family name, shared by individuals like the poet Thom Gunn and the Treasure Island character Ben Gunn

Etymology: Gunn is a Scottish family name, and its roots lie in the Old Norse personal name Gunnr. That name is built on a word meaning "battle" or "war," so a name that now sounds like a simple monosyllable from the Highlands carries a Viking-age martial meaning. Norse settlers in northern Scotland, the Northern Isles, and the western seaboard brought names like this with them, and many of them stayed in local use long after the settlers' language had faded. The surname is most common in Caithness and Sutherland, the far north of the Scottish mainland, where Norse influence on place names and personal names runs deepest. Its survival there reflects how thoroughly the Norse-speaking population of the region shaped the names used by their descendants.