Language & meaning
Meaning & Irish forms
Gaelic Gaelic Irish: chiefly Mac Lochlainn of the Cenél nEógain in Inishowen, with Ó Maoilsheachlainn of Meath and, rarely, Ó Lachtna, all sharing the same English spellings.[1][2][3]
The name is built on the personal name Lochlann, usually explained as “a name of Norse origin, from the Irish name for the land of the Vikings”. Woulfe calls Lochlainn a name of Norse origin. Wikipedia explains that Lochlann was the Irish name for Scandinavia, especially Norway, and that the annals call the Vikings Lochlannach.[1][6]
Pronunciation
McLaughlin: mac-LOCK-lin, or muh-GLOK-lin
Mac Lochlainn: muck LOKH-lin ('kh' as in loch) /mˠək ˈl̪ˠɔxl̪ˠən̠ʲ/[7]
Place
Where the McLaughlins lived
How common the name was in each county, as a share of the population, in the three surviving full censuses of Ireland. Use the buttons to compare years.
Share of each county's census population. 1926 covers the 26 counties of the Irish Free State only.
Highest concentration · 1901
Donegal
232 per 10,000
4,018 McLaughlins · 6.98× the national share
Highest share, 1901
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
Highest concentration · 1911
Donegal
220 per 10,000
3,712 McLaughlins · 6.65× the national share
Highest share, 1911
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
Highest concentration · 1926
Donegal
229 per 10,000
3,490 McLaughlins · 6.98× the national share
Highest share, 1926
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
County figures as a table
| County | 1901 | 1911 | 1926 | Per 10k 1901 | Per 10k 1911 | Per 10k 1926 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim | 1,160 | 1,190 | — | 25 | 25 | — |
| Armagh | 153 | 147 | — | 12 | 12 | — |
| Carlow | 12 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Cavan | 193 | 227 | 201 | 20 | 25 | 24 |
| Clare | 15 | 6 | 34 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Cork | 53 | 81 | 74 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Donegal | 4,018 | 3,712 | 3,490 | 232 | 220 | 229 |
| Down | 399 | 454 | — | 14 | 15 | — |
| Dublin | 765 | 838 | 1,009 | 17 | 17 | 20 |
| Fermanagh | 134 | 135 | — | 21 | 22 | — |
| Galway | 501 | 436 | 446 | 26 | 24 | 26 |
| Kerry | 43 | 53 | 51 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Kildare | 74 | 83 | 108 | 12 | 12 | 19 |
| Kilkenny | 21 | 32 | 46 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Laois | 67 | 48 | 57 | 12 | 9 | 11 |
| Leitrim | 821 | 723 | 705 | 118 | 115 | 124 |
| Limerick | 68 | 87 | 81 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Londonderry | 2,120 | 2,097 | — | 146 | 150 | — |
| Longford | 180 | 177 | 170 | 39 | 40 | 43 |
| Louth | 107 | 125 | 109 | 16 | 20 | 17 |
| Mayo | 1,052 | 1,017 | 1,093 | 53 | 53 | 63 |
| Meath | 184 | 142 | 194 | 26 | 22 | 31 |
| Monaghan | 36 | 34 | 36 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Offaly | 139 | 164 | 176 | 23 | 29 | 34 |
| Roscommon | 564 | 507 | 449 | 56 | 54 | 54 |
| Sligo | 551 | 592 | 608 | 68 | 75 | 85 |
| Tipperary | 136 | 190 | 179 | 9 | 12 | 13 |
| Tyrone | 785 | 831 | — | 52 | 58 | — |
| Waterford | 30 | 20 | 22 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Westmeath | 236 | 225 | 180 | 38 | 37 | 32 |
| Wexford | 87 | 83 | 97 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| Wicklow | 22 | 61 | 71 | 4 | 10 | 12 |
Local strongholds in 1911
District Electoral Divisions (300+ residents) where McLaughlins made up the largest share of the population. In Desertegny, Co. Donegal, about one resident in 5 was a McLaughlin.
| DED | County | McLaughlins | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desertegny | Donegal | 268 | 22.1% |
| Carthage | Donegal | 238 | 18.5% |
| Culdaff | Donegal | 228 | 17.4% |
| Illies | Donegal | 201 | 17.1% |
| Malin | Donegal | 167 | 16.0% |
| Greencastle | Donegal | 199 | 14.9% |
| Glentogher | Donegal | 99 | 12.5% |
| Teebane | Cavan | 49 | 11.7% |
Origins
Septs & territories
Many Irish surnames were adopted independently by unrelated families. These are the distinct McLaughlin lineages described in the sources.
A surname can point you towards a place. On its own, it cannot establish a pedigree.
Mac Lochlainn of Inishowen (Clann Domhnaill)
Inishowen (Inis Eoghain) and the kingdom of Ailech · Donegal, Derry, Tyrone
The senior line of the northern Uí Néill, descended from Domnall Dabaill, son of Áed Findliath, and named after Lochlann, king of Inishowen, who died in 1023. Woulfe calls them the most powerful family in Ulster before the 13th century. Two of their kings, Domnall Ua Lochlainn and Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn, claimed the high kingship. Woulfe found the name still common in Inishowen.[1][7][8]
Mac Lochlainn of Mayo
Co. Mayo · Mayo
Woulfe notes that a branch of the Inishowen family settled in Mayo in the 17th century. He gives no further detail.[1]
Mac Lochlainn of Leitrim
Breifne, under the O'Rourkes · Leitrim
Woulfe tentatively records a Leitrim family of this name who served under the O'Rourkes of Breifne.[1]
Ó Maoilsheachlainn of Meath (O'Melaghlin)
Kingdom of Mide; later the barony of Clonlonan · Westmeath, Meath
Descendants of Máel Sechnaill II, king of Meath and High King, who died in 1022, belonging to the Clann Cholmáin of the southern Uí Néill. After the Anglo-Norman grant of Meath to Hugh de Lacy their power declined, and for centuries they were confined to Clonlonan in Westmeath. Seventeenth-century confiscations ruined them, and their name survives mostly as MacLoughlin.[2][6][9][10]
The name over time
History
Kings of the north
The Mac Lochlainn were a branch of the Cenél nEógain, the dynasty that took its name from Eógan, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, and gave its name to Inishowen and Tyrone. They descended from Domnall Dabaill, who died in 915, a brother of the Niall Glúndub from whom the O'Neills take their name. Their eponym was Lochlann, king of Inishowen, who died in 1023. Wikipedia stresses that the surname became fixed less because of Lochlann himself than because of the spectacular career of his grandson Domnall.[7][8][1]
Two High Kings
Domnall Ua Lochlainn became king of Ailech in 1083 and spent decades contesting the high kingship with Muirchertach Ua Briain of Munster; he died at Derry in 1121. His grandson Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn was High King from about 1156. In 1166 he broke a solemn truce by seizing and blinding the king of the Ulaid, his allies deserted him, and he was killed with a handful of followers. Their royal seat was the Grianán of Aileach, the great stone fort at the neck of the Inishowen peninsula.[11][12][7][13]
Eclipse by the O'Neills
After 1166 the family's power faded. A Domnall Mac Lochlainn seized the kingship of Tír Eoghain in 1235, killing the O'Neill king, but he was later crushed by Brian O'Neill and the king of Tír Conaill, and the defeat almost wiped out the Mac Lochlainn leadership. The O'Neills held Tír Eoghain from then on, and Inishowen passed to the O'Dohertys. The family stayed on in the peninsula as a lesser kindred: in 1601 a Hugh Carrogh, chief of his sept, held Carrickmaquigley Castle.[7][8]
The O'Melaghlins of Meath
Many midland McLoughlins have a different royal ancestry. Ó Maoilsheachlainn, written O'Melaghlin in English records, was the surname of the descendants of Máel Sechnaill II, king of Meath, who was twice High King and died in 1022. After the Anglo-Norman invasion Meath was granted to Hugh de Lacy, and the family was reduced to the barony of Clonlonan in Westmeath. Woulfe notes that they were one of five Irish families allowed the use of English law. Confiscations in the 17th century left them landless, and Wikipedia says O'Melaghlin was turned into McLoughlin during the 18th century.[2][6][10]
One spelling, several families
Because McLaughlin, McLoughlin and MacLaughlin serve for Mac Lochlainn, Ó Maoilsheachlainn and occasionally Ó Lachtna, Wikipedia warns that the spelling alone cannot show which family a person belongs to. Location is the best guide: Wikipedia notes that the Mac Lochlainn forms are concentrated in west Ulster, on both sides of the border, while Ó Maoilsheachlainn belongs to Meath and Westmeath. The Burren family of Ó Lochlainn in Co. Clare, whose name is anglicised O'Loughlin, is a separate surname altogether.[3][6][14]
Places linked to the name
- Inishowen (Inis Eoghain), Co. Donegal — Homeland of the Mac Lochlainn kings, where Woulfe found the name still common.[1][8]
- Grianán of Aileach (Grianán Ailigh), Co. Donegal — Hillfort at Burt, royal seat of the over-kingdom of Ailech held by the Mac Lochlainn High Kings.[13][8]
- Derry, Co. Derry — Domnall Ua Lochlainn died at Daire Coluim Cille in 1121.[11]
- Carrickmaquigley Castle, Co. Donegal — Held in 1601 by Hugh Carrogh Mac Lochlainn, chief of his sept.[7]
- Clonlonan, Co. Westmeath — Barony to which the O'Melaghlins of Meath were confined after the Anglo-Norman invasion.[2]
Everyday lives
The McLaughlins in the census
Who the McLaughlins were in the 1901 and 1911 censuses (and 1926 where recorded), set against everyone in Ireland in the same census.
McLaughlins All of Ireland Ireland's figure marked on the McLaughlin bar
Religion, 1911
Irish language
72 McLaughlins spoke Irish only in 1901.
Reading & writing
Family life, 1911
Commonest occupations
Adults aged 15+, 1901 and 1911 combined.
| Farmer | 3,235 |
| Farmer's son | 1,590 |
| Seamstress | 719 |
| Farmer's daughter | 684 |
| Agricultural labourer | 403 |
| General labourer | 393 |
| Farm labourer | 371 |
| Labourer | 366 |
| Farm servant | 354 |
| House keeper | 292 |
Born outside Ireland
6.1% of McLaughlins in 1911 gave a birthplace outside Ireland.
| England | 691 |
| Scotland | 115 |
| United States | 68 |
| India | 5 |
| Canada | 3 |
| Wales | 1 |
Median age: 23 in 1901, 25 in 1911.
Given names
First names among the McLaughlins
Men and boys
- John2,693
- Patrick2,149
- James2,089
- Michael1,390
- Thomas1,094
- William1,023
- Joseph491
- Daniel466
- Edward455
- Charles415
Women and girls
- Mary2,890
- Bridget1,632
- Ellen913
- Annie890
- Catherine833
- Margaret779
- Sarah629
- Maggie594
- Kate552
- Anne455
All three censuses combined. Top five in 1926: John, Patrick, James, Michael, Thomas; Mary, Bridget, Annie, Margaret, Ellen.
Spellings
Spellings
This page combines the spellings below, which census enumerators and families used for the same name.
| Spelling | 1901 | 1911 | 1926 | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McLoughlin | 7,327 | 6,687 | 6,209 | Search |
| McLaughlin | 7,323 | 7,768 | 3,449 | Search |
| MacLaughlin | 76 | 72 | 41 | Search |
Related forms
- McLoughlin, MacLoughlin — Used for both Mac Lochlainn and Ó Maoilsheachlainn; the usual midland spelling.[1][2][6]
- MacLaughlin, M'Laughlin — Mc and M' are simply contractions of Mac, so these are the same name.[3]
- MacGloughlin, MacGlaughlin — From Mag Lochlainn, a variant Irish form recorded by Woulfe.[4]
- Loughlin — A shortened form that Woulfe lists under Mac Lochlainn.[1]
- O'Melaghlin — The older English form of Ó Maoilsheachlainn, now rare.[2][6]
- O'Loughlin — A different surname, Ó Lochlainn, chiefly the family of the lords of Burren in Co. Clare. Woulfe notes that Ó Lochlainn was sometimes also used for the northern family.[14][15]
- MacLachlan — The Scottish clan name. Wikipedia links it to the same Cenél nEógain stock; Woulfe does not discuss the connection.[3][6]
Diaspora
The McLaughlins abroad
Emigration carried the name worldwide. In the 2010 United States census:
| Spelling | People | US rank |
|---|---|---|
| McLoughlin | 4,661 | 7174th |
| McLaughlin | 74,816 | 437th |
| MacLaughlin | 961 | 25659th |
Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 surname file (public domain).
Heraldry
Is there a McLaughlin coat of arms?
There is no single McLaughlin crest. Burke records arms for the O'Melaghlins, hereditary kings of Meath, combining three red hands, a red lion and a salmon on waves, and notes a later grant of 1712 to Art O'Melaghlin of Ballinderry, Co. Westmeath, with the motto 'Scuto amoris divini'. He also lists arms for a 'MacLochlin' sept with the Irish motto 'Cuimhnig do geallamhnaca', but connects it to the MacSweeneys rather than to Inishowen, so its link to the Donegal family is uncertain.[16]
Websites selling a single “McLaughlin family crest” are selling a design, not an inheritance. Arms in Ireland belonged to individuals and their heirs, and the Chief Herald of Ireland still grants arms that way today.
People
Notable people named McLaughlin
- Domnall Ua Lochlainn (1048–1121) King of Ailech who contested the high kingship of Ireland for decades.
- Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn (died 1166) Ruler of Tír Eoghain who held the high kingship from about 1156 until his death.
- John McLoughlin (1784–1857) Hudson's Bay Company chief factor at Fort Vancouver, later called the 'Father of Oregon'.
- Samuel McLaughlin (1871–1972) Canadian carmaker whose McLaughlin Motor Car Company became General Motors of Canada.
- Seán McLoughlin (1895–1960) Republican and communist, made a commandant-general in the Easter Rising aged twenty.
- Audrey McLaughlin (born 1936) Leader of Canada's New Democratic Party, 1989–1995, the first woman to lead a party in the Commons.
- John McLaughlin (born 1942) English jazz-fusion guitarist and bandleader of the Mahavishnu Orchestra.
- Mitchel McLaughlin (born 1945) Sinn Féin politician, the first nationalist Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
- Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (born 1973) Sinn Féin TD for Donegal.
Questions
Questions about the McLaughlin name
Is McLaughlin Irish or Scottish?
McLaughlin is mainly Irish. It is the usual English form of Mac Lochlainn, a royal family of Inishowen in Co. Donegal, and in the midlands of Ó Maoilsheachlainn, the old kings of Meath. The Scottish equivalent is usually spelled MacLachlan, and Wikipedia's surname articles link that clan to the same northern Irish stock.[1][2][3]
What is McLaughlin in Irish?
Mac Lochlainn, 'son of Lochlann', for most Ulster families; a woman uses Nic Lochlainn. For McLoughlins from Meath and Westmeath the original is often Ó Maoilsheachlainn, 'descendant of Maoilsheachlainn'. Woulfe also records the variant Mag Lochlainn.[1][2][4][3]
Are McLaughlin and McLoughlin the same name?
They are two spellings of the same English forms, and both are used for Mac Lochlainn and for Ó Maoilsheachlainn. Wikipedia notes that the spelling cannot tell you which family a person descends from. Where a family came from in Ireland is a better clue than whether it is written 'au' or 'ou'.[3][6]
Are McLaughlin and O'Loughlin the same family?
Generally not. O'Loughlin is Ó Lochlainn, and its main family were the lords of Burren in Co. Clare, a branch of the Corca Modhruadh. They share the personal name Lochlann with the McLaughlins but are a distinct Munster family. Woulfe does note that Ó Lochlainn was occasionally used for the northern family too.[14][15]
What does the name Lochlann mean?
Lochlann was the Irish name for Scandinavia, especially Norway, and Woulfe describes the personal name as Norse in origin. Mac Lochlainn therefore means 'son of Lochlann'. The family's eponym was Lochlann, king of Inishowen, who died in 1023.[6][1][7]
How do you pronounce McLaughlin?
Wiktionary transcribes the English pronunciation /məˈɡlɑklɪn/, roughly 'muh-GLOK-lin'. In Irish, Mac Lochlainn has the throaty 'ch' of loch: Wikipedia gives [mˠək ˈl̪ˠɔxl̪ˠən̠ʲ], roughly 'muck LOKH-lin'. The spelling MacGloughlin, with its 'g' sound after Mac, comes from Mag Lochlainn, a variant Woulfe records alongside Mac Lochlainn.[17][7][4]
Is there a McLaughlin family crest or coat of arms?
Not one for everyone of the name. Burke records arms for the O'Melaghlins, kings of Meath, featuring red hands, a lion and a salmon, and a separate coat with an Irish motto for a 'MacLochlin' sept whose connection to Inishowen he does not make clear. Arms belonged to particular families.[16]
Where in Ireland is the McLaughlin surname most common?
In the 1911 census the largest numbers of McLaughlins lived in Donegal (3,712), Londonderry (2,097), Antrim (1,190). Relative to population, the name was most concentrated in Donegal (220 per 10,000), Londonderry (150 per 10,000), Leitrim (115 per 10,000).
How common was the McLaughlin surname in Ireland?
14,527 people were recorded as McLoughlin or McLaughlin or MacLaughlin in the 1911 census of Ireland, making it the 26th most common surname. That is roughly 0.3% of the population, or 1 person in 302.
Looking for a McLaughlin ancestor?
Search every McLaughlin household in the 1901, 1911 and 1926 censuses, with free images of the original forms.
Evidence
Sources
- Patrick Woulfe, Mac Lochlainn, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Patrick Woulfe, Ó Maoilsheachlainn, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Wikipedia, McLaughlin (surname) (2026)
- Patrick Woulfe, Mag Lochlainn, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Gaois research group, Dublin City University, Sloinnte (Irish surnames corpus), cluster 'Lochlainn' (2022)
- Wikipedia, McLoughlin (2026)
- Wikipedia, Mac Lochlainn (2026)
- Wikipedia, Inishowen (2026)
- Wikipedia, Clann Cholmáin (2026)
- Wikipedia, Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill (2026)
- Wikipedia, Domnall Ua Lochlainn (2026)
- Wikipedia, Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn (2026)
- Wikipedia, Grianan of Aileach (2026)
- Patrick Woulfe, Ó Lochlainn, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Wikipedia, O'Loughlin (2026)
- Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales (1884). Entries 'O'Melaghlin' (kings of Meath; Ballinderry) and 'MacLochlin'.
- Wiktionary, McLaughlin (2026)
- Census of Ireland 1901 and 1911, and Census of Population 1926, National Archives of Ireland. Counts compiled by surnames.ie from the irishcensus.com transcription (dataset 20260831130351). 1926 data © National Archives of Ireland, CC BY 4.0.
How we compile these figures: methodology.