Show ContentsMcGlothlin 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. McGlothlin 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 McGlothlin family

The surname McGlothlin 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 McGlothlin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGlothlin 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 McGlothlin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGlothlin Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname McGlothlin can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include MacLoughlin, McLoughlin, MacGloughlin, Lochlain, Claughan and many more.

Early Notables of the McGlothlin 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 McGlothlin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGlothlin Ranking

In the United States, the name McGlothlin is the 6,429th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1


United States McGlothlin 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 McGlothlin family came to North America quite early:

McGlothlin Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Jacob McGlothlin, aged 22, who arrived in America, in 1918

Contemporary Notables of the name McGlothlin (post 1700) +

  • Jim McGlothlin, American co-founder of the United Coal Company in Grundy, Virginia in 1970, known for having developed the 2006 "McGlothlin Energy Policy"
  • Jean McGlothlin (b. 1937), birth name of Jean McGlothlin Doerge, an American retired school teacher and a Democratic former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives (1998-2012)
  • Michael "Mickey" McGlothlin (b. 1951), American Appalachian public figure from Southwest Virginia
  • James Milton "Jim" McGlothlin (1943-1975), nicknamed "Red," an American Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Morton McGlothlin, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kentucky, 1948 2
  • James E. McGlothlin, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Ravenswood, West Virginia, 1881-85, 1898-1902 2
  • E. M. McGlothlin, American Republican politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Jackson County; Elected 1928 2


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook