O'Loughlin / / Coat of Arms, Family Crest and O'Loughlin / / Family History

O'Loughlin / / Family History

The ancient origin of the name O'Loughlin was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. The name O'Loughlin is derived from the ancient Gaelic O'Lochlainn sept that was of Dalcassian origin, located in County Clare in the west of Ireland.

A sept or clan is a collective term describing a group of persons whose immediate ancestors bore a common surname and inhabited the same territory. It is also the case that many Irish septs or clans that are related often belong to a larger groups, sometimes called tribes. For example the 'Tribes of Galway' consisted of fourteen distinct families. The 'Tribes of Kilkenny' were ten families, etc.

Variants of this name include Loughnane and Loughlin. The Chief of the sept in early times was known as 'The Lord of Corcomroe', but later their territory was restricted to the Burren Barony. Corcomroe is so called because the clan name of the O'Loughlins and O'Connors was 'Corca Modhruaidh'. In 1585 the Chief of the name was seated at Craggans in County Clare. Ballyvaughan and Kilfenora are still the heart of O'Loughlin country. A notable bearer of the name was Conghalach O'Loughlin who was Bishop of Corcomroe from the year 1281 to 1300. The Meath Gaelic sept of O'Lachtnain also changed their native name to O'Loughlin, as well as the more usual Loughnane. The O'Loughlin family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including O'Loughlin descendants.