Show ContentsMcGlaughlin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

There are many Irish surnames being used today in forms that are quite different than their original, ancient forms. McGlaughlin originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Lochlainn or Ó Maoilsheachlainn. The first name is derived from a Norse personal name, while the second name originally designated a follower of St. Secundinus.

Early Origins of the McGlaughlin family

The surname McGlaughlin was first found in County Meath (Irish: An Mhí) anciently part of the kingdom of Brega, located in Eastern Ireland, in the province of Leinster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 A.D.

Muircheartach Mac Lochlainn (died 1166), was king of Tír Eoghain, and High King of Ireland (c.1156-1166.) Together with sixteen of his closest allies, he was killed and was succeeded by Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair.

Niall Mac Lochlainn (died 1176) was a king of Cenél nEógain and Cenél Conaill, son of Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn.

Early History of the McGlaughlin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGlaughlin research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1002, 1172, 1387, 1404, 1405, 1506, 1699, 1784, 1797 and 1857 are included under the topic Early McGlaughlin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGlaughlin Spelling Variations

Irish names were rarely spelled consistently in the Middle Ages. Spelling variations of the name McGlaughlin dating from that time include MacLoughlin, McLoughlin, MacGloughlin, Lochlain, Claughan and many more.

Early Notables of the McGlaughlin family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Cearbhall mac Lochlainn Ó Dálaigh (died 1404), an Irish poet, Chief Ollam of Ireland (1387-1405); Paidin mac Lochlainn Ó Mailchonaire (died 1506), an Irish poet; Charles Macklin (1699-1797), originally Cathal MacLochlainn in Irish, or Charles McLaughlin...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McGlaughlin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States McGlaughlin migration to the United States +

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name McGlaughlin or a variant listed above, including:

McGlaughlin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Alexander McGlaughlin, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1798 [1]
McGlaughlin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Edward McGlaughlin, who landed in America in 1801 [1]
  • Thomas McGlaughlin, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1808 [1]
  • John McGlaughlin, who arrived in Maryland in 1812 [1]
  • Daniel McGlaughlin, who arrived in Maryland in 1813 [1]
  • James McGlaughlin, who arrived in New York in 1825 [1]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada McGlaughlin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McGlaughlin Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Quartermaster William McGlaughlin U.E. (b. 1752) who settled in York County, New Brunswick c. 1784 he served in the Queens Rangers, he died in 1827 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name McGlaughlin (post 1700) +

  • William "Bill" McGlaughlin (b. 1943), American composer, conductor, music educator, Peabody Award-winning classical music radio host
  • Joe McGlaughlin, American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for Illinois, 1996 [3]
  • James S. McGlaughlin (b. 1869), American politician, Mayor of Wyandotte, Michigan, 1908-11; Defeated, 1914 [3]


  1. 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)
  2. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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