Show ContentsLoughran History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

This Loughran surname is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic "Luachra," derived from the word "luachair," which means "rushes" or "sedges."

Early Origins of the Loughran family

The surname Loughran was first found in Armagh (Irish: Ard Mhacha) located in the province of Ulster in present day Northern Ireland, where they held a family seat as ecclesiastics in west Armagh and Antrim. Irish history was greatly influenced by the Norman invasion of 1172, and thereafter, the surnames of Irish Gaelic clanns and septs and many of the Norman families became almost indistinguishable. This family name was found later in Tyrone about 1430.

Early History of the Loughran family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Loughran research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1416, 1576, 1612 and 1652 are included under the topic Early Loughran History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Loughran Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Loughran, Lochrane, Lochraine, Lutheran, Lochran, Laugheran, Loughrey, O'Loughran, O'Lochrane, O'Lochran, O'Loughraine and many more.

Early Notables of the Loughran family

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

Loughran Ranking

In the United States, the name Loughran is the 10,879th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Loughran migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Loughran Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Owen Loughran, who was an 'enforced emigrant' from Ireland to America in 1738
Loughran Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Robert Loughran, aged 23, who landed in New York, NY in 1804 2
  • Brizbr Loughran, aged 25, who landed in New York, NY in 1804 2
  • Francis Loughran, who arrived in America in 1812 2
  • Terence Loughran, aged 27, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1822 2
  • Henry Loughran, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1823 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Loughran migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Loughran Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Michael Loughran, aged 80 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Herald" departing 20th June 1847 from Dublin, Ireland; the ship arrived on 26th June 1847 but he died on board 3
  • Walter Loughran, aged 22, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1864

Australia Loughran migration to Australia +

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

Loughran Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mrs. Bridget Loughran, (b. 1805), aged 32, Irish house maid who was convicted in Antrim, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Diamond" on 29th November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
  • Mary Loughran, aged 24, Irish convict from Monaghan, who was transported aboard the "Arabian" in November 22nd, 1846, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5

New Zealand Loughran 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:

Loughran Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • James Loughran, aged 19, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Douglas" in 1873

Contemporary Notables of the name Loughran (post 1700) +

  • John Thomas Loughran (1889-1953), American lawyer and politician, Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals
  • William H. Loughran (1862-1917), American Major League Baseball catcher in the late 1800s
  • Beatrix S Loughran (1900-1975), American figure skater, winner of three Olympic medals in figure skating, inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame (1997)
  • Jonathan Loughran (b. 1966), American actor
  • Robert Loughran (1834-1899), American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Ulster County 1st District, 1861, 1872 6
  • Joseph M. Loughran, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1944, 1948, 1952, 1956 6
  • John T. Loughran (1889-1953), American Democratic Party politician, Justice of New York Supreme Court 3rd District, 1930-34; Judge of New York Court of Appeals, 1934-45 6
  • John Lewis Loughran (1921-2006), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Somalia, 1975-78 6
  • Francis J. Loughran, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Illinois State Senate 13th District, 1931-43; Member of Illinois Democratic State Central Committee, 1938-43 6
  • Francis H. Loughran, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1956 6
  • ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. Patrick Loughran, Irish Trimmer from Newry, Down, Ireland, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 7


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. 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. 84)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Diamond
  5. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arabian voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1846 with 26 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arabian/1846
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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