McLoughlin Coat of Arms, Family Crest and McLoughlin Family History

McLoughlin Family History

The McLoughlin ancient family history was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. The surname McLoughlin, also spelled McLaughlin, is used in modern Ireland as the anglicized form of two entirely distinct Gaelic septs, both of considerable importance. One of these was of royal status, and is not a Mc name at all but an O name, being O'Maoilsheachlainn in Irish. Up to the end of the seventeenth century it was always anglicized as O'Melaghlin, with some variant spellings. The McLoughlins however were another powerful and important sept, and continued as such up to the thirteenth century when their influence began to decline. This sept was called McLochlainn in Irish, meaning 'son of Lochlainn', which was a forename of Norse origin. This does not however, imply that the family was itself of Norse stock. The McLoughlins of Ulster were in fact a senior branch of the Northern Ui Neill with their territory being Innishowen in County Donegal. The McLoughlin 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 McLoughlin descendants.