Show ContentsLonny History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Irish surnames in use today are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Lonny originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Luinigh.

Early Origins of the Lonny family

The surname Lonny was first found in County Tyrone (Irish: Tír Eoghain), the ancient territory of the O'Neills, now in the Province of Ulster, central Northern Ireland, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Lonny family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lonny research. Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lonny History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lonny Spelling Variations

The search for the origins of the name Lonny family name revealed numerous spelling variations. These variants can be somewhat accounted for when it is realized that before widespread literacy people only recognized their name by pronunciation; it was up to scribes to decide how it was to be formally recorded. Variations found include Lunney, Lunnie, Looney, Loney, Lunny, O'Lunney and others.

Early Notables of the Lonny family

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

Migration of the Lonny family

A massive wave of Irish immigrants hit North America during the 19th century. Although many early Irish immigrants made a carefully planned decision to leave left Ireland for the promise of free land, by the 1840s immigrants were fleeing a famine stricken land in desperation. The condition of Ireland during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s can be attributed to a rapidly expanding population and English imperial policies. Those Irish families that arrived in North America were essential to its rapid social, industrial, and economic development. Passenger and immigration lists have revealed a number of early Irish immigrants bearing the name Lonny: Hugh, John, and Pat Lunny who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1803 and 1839; Bernard, Felix, George, James and William Lunney all arrived in Philadelphia between 1856 and 1875.


Contemporary Notables of the name Lonny (post 1700) +

  • Lonny Lee Deslatte, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Louisiana, 2008 1
  • Lonny Winrich, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Dakota, 2004 (alternate), 2008 2
  • Lonny Heckman (1969-2007), American songwriter and musician, best known for his song "When I See Beth Smiling"


The Lonny Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Patriae infelici fidelis
Motto Translation: Faithful to an unhappy country.


  1. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Lonny Deslatte. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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