Irish Identity

Where your folk
came from

Lacy Often de Lacy. Normans who were lords of Meath. Name still found in Royal County. Also Limerick, Tipperary area.	Lade Or Laide. Found in Kildare and Kerry.
Laden A version of Leyden in Leitrim.	Laffan A Norman family who settled in Wexford.
MacLafferty Connected to MacLaverty. See Donegal.	Lagan A Derry-Antrim version of Logan.
Laherty Like Lahart a Tipperary, Kilkenny name.	Lahiff Found in Clare. Related to Flahive in Kerry and the north Connacht name Laffey.
Laird Scottish and recorded in north eastern counties.	Lally A Galway name connected to Mullally.
Lalor Or Lawler. One of the Seven Septs of Leix. Still a very common name in this part of the midlands.	Lambe English but most bearing this name were once O Loane. See Meath, Louth, Armagh and Monaghan area.
Lambert Families of this English name settled in Wexford, Mayo and Galway.	Lamont Scottish and popular in the north east.
Landers From the Norman de Londres. On record in south Munster counties of Waterford, Cork, Kerry. Also Clare.	Landy Normans who settled in Kilkenny and Tipperary. See also Ardee area of Louth.
Lane English but the majority are the anglicisation of such as Lehane, Lyne and Lyons. found in Tipperary and also in Cork and Limerick.	Lang A branch of the Scottish clan Leslie and popular in north east Ulster.
Langan A Mayo name.	Langton One of the Tribes of Kilkenny.
Lanigan Very much a Kilkenny name.	Lannon A Kilkenny version of Lennon.
Lappin A Donegal clan who migrated to Tyrone. Seen also in Meath. Connected to De Lap.	Lardner Found in Galway. English but here it is the anglicised version of Lorgnáin.
MacLardy A branch of the Scottish clan MacDonald. Seen in north east.	Larkin From O’Lorcáin, lorc means fierce. Numerous and found in areas such as Galway, Louth, Tipperary, Kilkenny and Wexford.
Larmour Or Larmer and Armour. French origin and popular in northern counties.	MacLarney A version of Mullarney found in Monaghan.
MacLarnon A devotee of St Earnan, a Down name with connections to MacLernon, MacLarnan and MacClarnon.	Larrissey Originally Mayo but in later years a Kilkenny name.
Latchford Seen in Kerry.	Latimer Probably Scottish and on record in Cavan, Monaghan region.
Lavelle A north Connacht, Donegal clan. See also Monaghan, Armagh sector.	Laverty Or Lafferty. Fairly popular in Donegal and Tyrone.
Lavery Or Lowry. Very much an Ulster name with special concentration in Down and Antrim.	Lavey A version of Leavy in Westmeath and Longford.
Lavin A Roscommon, Mayo clan often changed to Hand.	Law English and generally located in the north east.
Lawler Or Lawlor. See Lalor.	Lawless Arrived with the Normans and became one of the Tribes of Kilkenny.
Lawn From O’Liatháin which is also Lehane in Cork. See Donegal, Tyrone area.	Lawrence Or Laurence. English and with a reasonably wide spread.
Lawson English and Ulster counties.	Lawton English though the anglicisation of O’Lachtnáin in Cork.
Leacy A variant of Lacy.	Leahy Very numerous in Munster area, particularly counties Cork, Tipperary and Kerry. From O’Laochdha which means brave.
Leamy A north Tipperary name.	Leane Found in Kerry
O’Leary One of the great Irish names. Always associated with Cork.	Leavy Or Levy. Related to the O’Farrells of Longford. Still numerous in this county and neighbouring Westmeath.
Lecky Scottish and recorded in Derry and Donegal.	Leddy A Cavan version of Liddy.
Ledger A Palatine name in Limerick. Otherwise a version of St Leger.	Ledwich Or Ledwidge. An English family who settled in east Meath circa 1200. Still associated with Royal County.
Lee English but most Irish bearing this name are native. Usually the anglicisation of MacLaoidhigh or Mac an Leogha. Connected to the Galway O’Flahertys and other identified locations include north Connacht and the Limerick-Cork sector.	Leech From the French Leche which means physican. Linked to Lee in Galway. See Dublin-Drogheda area.
Leeper English family who settled in Donegal 300 years back.	Leeson English but thought to have connections with O’Lishane which became Gleeson.
Leevy See Leavy.	Legge English and found in Ulster. Also the anglicised version of Mac Coise (cos means foot).
Lehane Originally Limerick, nowadays mostly associated with west Cork.	MacLellan Or Clelland and Leland are mostly of Scottish extraction.
Lemass From the French le Maistre. On record in Carlow and Dublin.	Lemon English and common enough in Ulster.
Lenihan Or Lenaghan and Linehan. Quite numerous in the Cork-Limerick sector. See also Roscommon.	Lennane Or Linnane. Connected to Lennon. Seen in Clare-Limerick-Galway region.
MacLennon Scottish origin and Ulster as a habitat.	Lennon Sometimes Lennan. From O’Leannáin (leann means cloak). Connected to the Galway Linnane. Most of this clan can be found in the Armagh, Down, north Louth area.
Leonard An English name but in Ireland usually the anglicisation of Linneen, Linnane, Lennon, Lunny and Gilsenan.	Lerhinan Or Lernihan is on record in Clare.
Leslie A Scottish family who settled in north Monaghan.	Lestrange The anglicisation of Mac Conchoigcriche (border hound) in Westmeath.
Lett Arrived with Cromwell to Wexford. See also Carlow where it is probably from the Norman De Leyt.	Levens Or Levins. A well known Louth name.
Levis Connected to MacConlevy and found in west Cork.	Lewis Common enough English name.
Ley One of the Tribes of Kilkenny.	Leyden Or Lydon. A popular Galway-Mayo clan.
Liddy A Clare-Limerick name. Connected to Leddy in Cavan.	Lillis A Clare, Limerick variant of Lawless.
MacLilly Connected to the MacGuires of Fermanagh.	Linden A version of the popular Oriel name MacAlindon. See Monaghan, Armagh and Down.
Lindsay Often of Scottish origin but many bearing the name O Loingsigh in northern counties were anglicised to read Linchey and subsequently Lindsay.	Linnane See Lennane.
Lipsett From the German Lipsitz. Seen in Donegal.	Lister Or Lyster. English or Scottish origin.
Liston From the Norman de Lexinton who settled in the Limerick, north Kerry area.	O’Loan Or Loane. From O Luain (luan means hound). See northern counties of Derry and Antrim. Connected to Lambe in Oriel area.
Locke Usually English but sometimes the anglicisation of O’Loughlin.	Loftus English but in Mayo where the name is quite numerous it is a version of Loughnane.
Logan Can be Norman, Scottish or a variant of the Irish Lohan.	Logue Or Loogue. The anglicisation of O Maolmhaodhóg and found mainly in Donegal and Derry. Connected to Leech and Molloy.
Lohan Or Loughan and Loghan. Migrated from Westmeath to the Clare, Galway borders.	Lomasney Seen in Tipperary.
Lonergan Or Londrigan. A well known Tipperary family.	Long Mostly found in Cork-Kerry region. These belong to an erenagh family. Can be English or from the Norman de Long in other parts.
Looby Or Luby and on record in Tipperary.	Loonan Or Loonane. Connected to Longford and Donegal.
MacLoone From the Glenties area of Donegal.	Looney A Clare name.
Looran Or Loran. Found in Westmeath and Meath as substitutes for Loughran.	Lord An English name but sometimes a synonym of Kiernan and Tierney.
Lordan A west Cork name.	O’Losty Associated with Donegal. Variants include Lasty, Lusty and Lastly.
MacLoughlin Spelt Mac Laughlin in Derry. A popular Donegal clan of Norse extraction who had strong links to the O’Neills.	O’Loughlin An important Clare sept.
Loughman Linked to Loughnane and long time association with Laois and Kilkenny.	Loughnane Various branches and most regularly seen in Clare-Tipperary belt.
MacLoughney Or Maloughney. A north Tipperary, south Offaly clan who often became Molony.	O’Loughney A Mayo name usually changed to Loughnane.
Loughran A popular Armagh family who spread to neighbouring counties.	Loughrey Generally found in northern counties.
Louth Or Louthe. English and no connection with the county although it is found there.	Love Common in Derry. Generally English origin but could come from the Irish Mac Grath (Gradh means love).
Lovell English and linked to Kilkenny sector.	Lovett A relative of the French Lyvet and long established in Kerry.
Lowney A west Cork clan.	Lowry See Lavery.
Lowther A north of England name. A family arrived in Fermanagh shortly after the Plantation.	MacLoy Seen in Oriel counties.
Lucas English and scattered.	Lucey A well known Cork family. See also Kerry.
Lucid On record in Kerry.	Ludden A variant of Lydon in counties Galway and Mayo.
Luddy A Cork form of Liddy.	Ludlow An English family with connections in Meath and Louth. Also Cork.
Lundy Seen in northern counties. From the Norman de la Lounde.	Lunn Check Antrim area. English.
Lunney Originally Tyrone. Also adjoining parts of Cavan and Leitrim.	Lurigan A variant of Lonergan in west Clare.
Luttrell From the French le Latrel which means otter. Found mostly in the Dublin sector.	Lydon See Leyden.
Lyle Could be from the Irish O’Laoighill. Common enough in Derry and Antrim. Came from Scotland.	Lynagh Once Galway and Mayo. From Laighneach, meaning Leinsterman. Nowadays see Meath and Westmeath.
Lynam Or Lynan. Originally south Leinster counties of Wexford and Carlow. Popular Trim, Co. Meath name.	Lynch Two origins. One the Norman de Lench who settled in Summerhilll, Meath. They migrated to Galway city and became the dominant family there. The most numerous is the Irish O’Loingsigh with density pockets in Cork-Kerry, Cavan-Meath and Clare.
Lynchehan Mac also used. Now mostly Lynch. See Tyrone and Donegal.	MacLynch A Donegal variant of MacGlinchey.
Lyne A well known Kerry clan. Sometimes spelt O Leane. Often changed to Lyons.	Lyness English family with wings in Down and Antrim.
Lyng Or Ling. Associated with the Wexford, Kilkenny area. Probably related to the O’Floinns of Waterford.	Lynn An Antrim form of Flynn.
Lynskey A Galway, Mayo relative of Lynch.	Lyons English but most Irish bearing this name can trace their roots back to Cork. Connected to Lehane, Leane and Lyne.
MacLysaght A Clare family closely related to the dominant O’Briens. See also Limerick.