Show ContentsLarkin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Many variations of the name Larkin have evolved since the time of its initial creation. In Gaelic it appeared as Ó Lorcain, which is derived from the old personal name Lorc, which means rough or fierce. [1]

Early Origins of the Larkin family

The surname Larkin was first found in County Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Larkin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Larkin research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1528, 1564, 1580, 1591, 1609 and 1619 are included under the topic Early Larkin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Larkin Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name Larkin were encountered in the archives: Larkin, O'Larkin and others.

Early Notables of the Larkin family

More information is included under the topic Early Larkin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Larkin Ranking

In the United States, the name Larkin is the 1,421st most popular surname with an estimated 22,383 people with that name. [2] However, in Australia, the name Larkin is ranked the 803rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,885 people with that name. [3]


United States Larkin migration to the United States +

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Larkin family came to North America quite early:

Larkin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Larkin, who settled in Boston in 1630
  • Eliz Larkin, who landed in Virginia in 1635 [4]
  • Elizabeth Larkin, who settled in Virginia in 1637
  • Edward Larkin, who arrived in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1640 [4]
  • William Larkin, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 [4]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Larkin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Benjamin Larkin, who settled in Annapolis Maryland in 1720
  • John Larkin, who landed in Virginia in 1769-1770 [4]
  • Ann Larkin, who arrived in America in 1797 [4]
Larkin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John P Larkin, who arrived in America in 1802 [4]
  • Miss W Larkin, who arrived in New York, NY in 1810 [4]
  • Mary Larkin, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1813 [4]
  • Jane Larkin, aged 30, who landed in America in 1821 [4]
  • Patrick Larkin, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1836 [4]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Larkin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Larkin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Michael Larkin, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1832
  • Joseph Larkin, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1837
  • Miss. Ellen Larkin who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec but died on Grosse Isle on 28th June 1847 [5]
  • Mr. James Larkin, aged 50 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Greenock" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 [5]
  • Miss. Julia Larkin, aged 11 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Triton" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 [5]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Larkin migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Larkin Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Larkin, (b. 1775), aged 18, Irish labourer who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Boddingtons" on 15th February 1793, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [6]
Larkin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Martin Larkin, a herdsman, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • Thomas Larkin, a joiner, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • Miss Margaret Larkin, (b. 1806), aged 20, Irish nurse girl who was convicted in County Tipperary, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 3rd October 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [7]
  • Mr. Stephen Larkin, (b. 1810), aged 20, Irish tailor who was convicted in Galway, Ireland for life for house breaking, transported aboard the "Forth" on 1st January 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [8]
  • Mr. John Larkin, (b. 1817), aged 18, British convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years for pick pocketing, transported aboard the "England" on 6th June 1835, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1862 [9]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Larkin migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Larkin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Eliza A. Larkin, (b. 1850), aged 20, British general servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Monarch" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1870 [10]
  • Michael Larkin, aged 17, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Douglas" in 1873
  • James Larkin, aged 27, a labourer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Chile" in 1874
  • Julia Larkin, aged 23, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Chile" in 1874
  • Catherine Larkin, aged 1, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Chile" in 1874
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Larkin (post 1700) +

  • Andy Larkin (1946-2023), American rower who competed in the men's coxed eight event at the 1968 Summer Olympics
  • James Anthony "Jim" Larkin (1949-2023), American publisher and journalist in Phoenix, Arizona
  • Joan Marie Larkin (b. 1958), birth name of Joan Jett, the American rock musician and actress, often referred to as the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll"
  • Deacon John Larkin (1735-1807), American ordained minister of the First Congregational Church in Charlestown, Massachusetts who helped Paul Revere by securing a horse for his famous "Midnight Ride"
  • Milt Larkin (1910-1996), American jazz trumpeter and bandleader
  • Lieutenant-General Thomas Bernard Larkin (1890-1968), American Assistant Chief of Staff (G-4) US Army (1950-1952) [11]
  • Thomas O. Larkin (1802-1858), American merchant and diplomatic agent, signer of the original California Constitution
  • Oliver Waterman Larkin (1896-1970), American art historian
  • Barry Larkin (b. 1964), retired American Major League Baseball player
  • Eugene Thomas Larkin (b. 1962), American Major League Baseball player
  • ... (Another 57 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. James J. Larkin, English Greaser from Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking [12]
SS Atlantic
  • Catherine Larkin, Irish traveler aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  5. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 38)
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/boddingtons
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/forth
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
  10. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  11. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 2) Thomas Larkin. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Larkin/Thomas_Bernard/USA.html
  12. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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