Lauren History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Scotland
Ireland

The Lauren family comes from the ancient Scottish Dalriadan clans of the mountainous west coast of Scotland. The name Lauren is derived from the personal name Laurence. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Labhruinn, which means son of Labhran or son of Laurence. The Clan is believed to be descended from Lorn, son of Erc, who landed in Argyll in 503 AD. Although the lineage before the 12th century is difficult to prove, it has been established that the clan held vast territories called the Braes of Balquhidder. They were recorded as being 'all grand, strong men' and, when the Old Kirk at Balquhidder was being repaired, clan members supervised the exhumation of some of the bodies of ancient members of the clan from the graveyard that was a traditional the burial place of the theirs. They found bones measuring 23 and a half inches long, which makes them big men even by today's standards.

Early Origins of the Lauren family

The surname Lauren was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute, where in the valley of Loch Voil between the head of Loch Lomond and Loch Earn they were so powerful that it was once said that no one could take his place in church until the MacLaren Clan were properly seated.

They were kinsmen of the Celtic Earls of Strathearn and their branches were at Balquidder, Strathearn, Auchleskine, Stank, Druach and Lochearnside. They engaged neighboring Clans in lively feuds but always remained faithful in their allegiance to the Royal House of Stewart.

They were hereditary Celtic Abbots of Achtow and derive their name from Abbot Lawrence. For almost a thousand years the gathering place of the Clan has been Creag an Tuirc, the 'Boars Rock' in Achtow, in Balquhidder. This has also been adopted as their slogan.

Early History of the Lauren family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lauren research. Another 312 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1344, 1698, 1745 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Lauren History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lauren Spelling Variations

Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. Lauren has appeared in various documents spelled MacLaren, MacLaron, MacLaurin, MacLarty, MacClarence, MacPhater, MacFeeter and many more.

Early Notables of the Lauren family

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

Migration of the Lauren family to Ireland

Some of the Lauren family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lauren migration to the United States +

Dalriadan families proliferated in North America. Their descendants still populate many communities in the eastern parts of both the United States and Canada. Some settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists, in the wake of the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border have recovered much of their heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Lauren or a variant listed above:

Lauren Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Manl Lauren, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1829 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Lauren (post 1700) +

Ralph Lauren (b. 1939), American fashion designer
Bertus C. Lauren, American Republican politician, Mayor of Oneonta, New York, 1926-31 2
Jessa Lauren Seewald (b. 1992), née Duggar, an American television personality, known for her role in TLC's reality show 19 Kids and Counting
Claire Lauren Rafferty (b. 1989), English female international footballer
Joshua Lauren Alba (b. 1982), American actor
Ashley Lauren Melnick (b. 1989), American beauty pageant titleholder
Thomas Lauren Friedman (b. 1953), American journalist who has won the Pulitzer Prize three times, twice for International Reporting (1983, 1988) and once for Commentary (2002)
Andrea Lauren Bowen (b. 1990), Award-winning American actress
Frank Lauren Hitchcock (1875-1957), American mathematician and physicist
Matthew Lauren McWhorter (b. 1889), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Georgia public service commission, 1936-61; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Georgia, 1952 3

The Lauren 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: Creag an tuirc
Motto Translation: The boar's rock.

Citations +

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html