Find out how popular the last name O'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 O'Loughlin.

O'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 O'Loughlin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of O'Loughlin in America

O'Loughlin is the 10191st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The O'Loughlin surname appeared 3,162 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 O'Loughlin.

We can also compare 2010 data for O'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 O'Loughlin

The surname OLOUGHLIN has its origins in Ireland and dates back to the late Middle Ages. It is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Lochlainn, which means "descendant of Lochlainn". Lochlainn was a personal name derived from the old Norse word "lochlan", meaning "fjord dweller" or "from Norway".

This surname is found predominantly in the counties of Westmeath, Meath, and Offaly in the Irish Midlands. It is thought to be a branch of the Uí Néill royal dynasty that ruled parts of Ireland from the 5th to the 10th century. The earliest recorded example of the name is Amhalgaidh Ua Lochlainn, who was King of Cenél nEógain and High King of Ireland from 1014 to 1036.

In the Annals of Ulster, a medieval Irish chronicle, there are several references to individuals with the name Ua Lochlainn or Ó Lochlainn. For instance, Aodh Ó Lochlainn, who died in 1197, is mentioned as the King of Cenél nEógain and a prominent leader during the Norman invasion of Ireland.

Another notable figure was Muircheartach Ua Lochlainn, who was the High King of Ireland from 1156 to 1166. He is renowned for his military campaigns against the Anglo-Normans and for presiding over a period of relative peace and prosperity in Ireland.

In the 14th century, a branch of the Ó Lochlainn family settled in the Barony of Fartullagh, County Westmeath, where they became known as the OLOUGHLIN clan. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this anglicized spelling was John OLOUGHLIN, who was a member of the Irish Parliament in the late 16th century.

During the Williamite War in Ireland (1689-1691), several members of the OLOUGHLIN family fought on the Jacobite side, supporting the deposed Catholic King James II against the forces of King William III. Notable among them was Colonel Terence OLOUGHLIN, who commanded a regiment of dragoons and was killed in action at the Battle of Aughrim in 1691.

In the 18th century, a distinguished member of the family was Reverend Michael OLOUGHLIN, who was a prominent Catholic priest and writer. He was born in County Westmeath in 1737 and is best known for his work "A Brief View of the Tenets and Practices of the Ancient Irish", published in 1789.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name O'Loughlin

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname O'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 O'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 O'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 O'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 O'Loughlin, please contact us.

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