2000
#9,287
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,227
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Loughlin
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Lochlainn, meaning "descendant of Lochlann," a Gaelic name derived from "fjord land," referring to Scandinavia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,574 Americans carry the last name Loughlin. That puts it at #9,888 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,902 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Loughlin surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Loughlin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 95,902
Census rank
#9,888
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,117 bearers of the surname Loughlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9888th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Loughlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loughlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Loughlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Loughlin bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Loughlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 2,867
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 131
- Two or more races2.4% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Loughlin
Loughlin appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,786
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,309
+82 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 499 places
2020
#9,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,117
-192 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,287 | 3,227 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,786 | 3,309 | 1.12 | +82 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 499 places |
| 2020 | #9,888 | 3,117 | 1.04 | -192 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 102 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Loughlin surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,786 | #9,888 | -1.0% |
| Count | 3,309 | 3,117 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 1.04 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Loughlin bearers went from 3,309 to 3,117 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 102 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,786 to #9,888.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Loughlin
FAQ
Loughlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Loughlin?
Name Census estimates that about 3,574 living Americans carry the surname Loughlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,902 residents.
How common is Loughlin?
Loughlin ranks #9,888 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,117 people with the surname Loughlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,574), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Loughlin.
Has Loughlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Loughlin went from 3,309 recorded bearers to 3,117. That is a decrease of 192 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,786 to #9,888.
What does the Census say about the background of Loughlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Loughlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Loughlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,867 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Loughlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (2.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Loughlin (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Loughlin mean?
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Lochlainn, meaning "descendant of Lochlann," a Gaelic name derived from "fjord land," referring to Scandinavia. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Loughlin (1.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Loughlin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.