Contents [hide]

Looney History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Looney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

The saga of the Looney family begins among the people of the ancient tribe of the Picts. They lived in the lands of Clunie in Stormont, Perthshire. "This place, which is of remote antiquity, is distinguished as the scene of a battle between the Caledonians and the Romans under Agricola. In a field near the Hill of Gourdie, are still remaining several mounds, in a parallel direction, separated by trenches of equal length, called the "Steeds Stalls;" and here the advanced guard of the Caledonian army was posted to watch the movements of the Roman army, which was encamped on the plains of Inchtuthill, about two miles to the south." 1

Early Origins of the Looney family

The surname Looney was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) where "William de Clonin witnessed a confirmation charter by Alexander II to the Abbey of Arbroath c. 1214-1218. The ward of Eugene de Cluny is referred to in 1263. William de Cluny of Perthshire rendered homage in 1296, and appears again on an inquest at Perth in 1304. Another William de Cluny, chaunteur of Breghyn in the county of Strivelyn, also rendered homage in that year and is mentioned again in 1305 as Sir William de Clony, chaplain to the bishop of Brechin. Adam Cluny of Fifeshire also rendered homage in 1296, and John de Cloni or de Cloney of Fife was one of the Scots prisoners taken at Dunbar Castle in the same year." 2

The mentions of "rendered homage" in the preceding paragraph refers to King Edward I of England's intrusion into Scotland.

Cluny is a parish in the district of Kincardine O'Neil, county of Aberdeen "The name of this place, signifying, in Gaelic, meadows interspersed with rising grounds, is descriptive of the appearance of the locality." 1

Early History of the Looney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Looney research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1214, 1296, 1616, 1686, 1757, 1784, 1787, 1790, 1791 and 1819 are included under the topic Early Looney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Looney Spelling Variations

Although Medieval Scotland lacked a basic set of spelling rules, which meant that scribes recorded names according to their sounds it was not uncommon for the names of a father and son to be recorded differently. As a result, there are many spelling variations of Scottish single names. Looney has been written Clunie, Clooney, Cloon, Cloone, Clowney, Clune, Cluney, Clunis and many more.

Early Notables of the Looney family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was John Clunie (1757?-1819), "the supposed author of the beautiful Scotch [(Scottish)] song 'I lo'e na a laddie but ane,' born about 1757. He was educated for the church of Scotland, and licensed by the presbytery of Edinburgh on 29 Dec. 1784. He then became schoolmaster at Narkinch, Fifeshire, and possessing a fine voice and some musical skill acted as precentor in the parish church. In 1790 he was presented by the Duke of Buccleuch to the parish of Ewes, Dumfriesshire, and...
Another 88 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Looney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Looney Ranking

In the United States, the name Looney is the 1,817^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 3

Looney migration to the United States +

Thousands of Scots left their home country to travel to Ireland or Australia, or to cross the Atlantic for the North American colonies. The difficult crossing was an enormous hurdle, but those who survived found freedom and opportunity in ample measure. Some Scots even fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence. This century, their ancestors have become aware of the illustrious history of the Scots in North America and at home through Clan societies and other organizations. Passenger and immigration lists show many early and influential immigrants bearing the name Looney:

Looney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James C Looney, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4

Looney migration to Australia +

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

Looney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Looney, British Convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Mr. William Looney, British Convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Mary Looney, aged 26, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Confiance" 6
Timothy Looney, aged 37, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Northern Light" 7
Ellen Looney, aged 15, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Northern Light" 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Looney 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:

Looney Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Michael Looney, aged 28, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oxford" in 1874
Margaret Looney, aged 24, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oxford" in 1874
Mary Looney, aged 1, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oxford" in 1874
Thomas Looney, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oxford" in 1874
Thomas Looney, aged 35, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Woodlark" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Looney (post 1700) +

John Don Looney (1917-2015), American professional football end who played three seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles (1940) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (1941-1942)
Richard Carl Looney (b. 1934), retired American Bishop of the United Methodist Church
Joe Don Looney (1942-1988), American football running back
Ben Earl Looney (1904-1981), Louisiana artist and author
Brian James Looney (b. 1969), retired Major League Baseball pitcher
Shelley Looney (b. 1972), American ice hockey player
Martin M. Looney (b. 1948), American politician
Andrew J. Looney (b. 1963), award-winning American game designer and computer programmer
Thomas David Looney, Irish Labour Party politician
Séamus Looney (b. 1950), Irish retired sportsperson
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
South Australian Register Wednesday 13th September 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Confiance 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/confiance1854.shtml
South Australian Register Monday 9th April 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Norther Light 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/northernlight1855.shtml