Cronín

Cronín is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Cróinín, indicating descent from the personal name Crónán. The form Cronín with the Irish accent reflects the original spelling; Anglicized variants include Cronin and Cronyn. The surname Ó Cróinín is historically associated with parts of Munster and Connacht, and today it is most common in southern and western Ireland, especially Cork, Limerick, Kerry, and Clare. It spread abroad with Irish emigration in the 19th and 20th centuries to the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, where it is found among diaspora communities. Notable bearers include James W. Cronin (1931–2016), an American physicist and Nobel Prize in Physics laureate (1980) for the discovery of CP violation. Variants include Cronin and Cronyn; in genealogical records, O'Cronin may appear.