Find out how popular the last name Loughlin is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Loughlin.

Loughlin, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Loughlin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Loughlin in America

Loughlin is the 9786th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Loughlin surname appeared 3,309 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Loughlin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Loughlin to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Loughlin

The surname Loughlin has its origins in Ireland, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Ó Lochlainn, which means "descendant of Lochlainn." Lochlainn was a personal name derived from the Old Norse word "lochlan," meaning "fjord" or "lake land."

The name is closely associated with the Irish province of Ulster, particularly the counties of Antrim and Down, where it was most prevalent. In early records, the name appeared in various spellings, including Loughlin, Loughlinn, Lochlin, and Loughran.

One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a Gilla Críst Ó Lochlainn who died in 1127. Another notable figure was Muircheartach Ó Lochlainn, King of Cenél nEógain and High King of Ireland, who ruled from 1156 to 1166.

In the 16th century, the Loughlin family played a significant role in the Nine Years' War (1593-1603), a rebellion against English rule in Ulster. Sir Phelim O'Neill, a prominent leader in the rebellion, was married to a woman named Mary Loughlin.

During the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century, many Loughlins were dispossessed of their lands and dispersed throughout Ireland and beyond. This event likely contributed to the spread of the name outside its traditional stronghold in Ulster.

One notable figure from this period was Redmond Loughlin (1627-1692), an Irish Catholic priest who served as Vicar Apostolic of Kilmore and later as Bishop of Raphoe. He played a significant role in preserving the Catholic faith in Ireland during the Penal Laws.

In the 19th century, Michael Loughlin (1836-1923) was a prominent Irish politician and member of the Irish Parliamentary Party, representing the constituency of Mayo North from 1892 to 1900.

Another individual of note was John Loughlin (1816-1891), an Irish-born Catholic priest who became the first Bishop of Brooklyn, New York, serving from 1853 to 1891. He played a crucial role in the development of the Catholic Church in the United States during a period of significant Irish immigration.

As Irish immigrants settled in various parts of the world, the name Loughlin spread to countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, where it continues to be found today.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Loughlin

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Loughlin.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Loughlin was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Loughlin has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Loughlin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Loughlin, please contact us.

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