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Irish surname

Looney: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Luanaigh / Ó Luinigh · Ó Luanaigh: 'descendant of Luanach' (derivative of luan, warrior, champion); Ó Luinigh: 'descendant of Luineach'

Woulfe (1923) prints Looney under two separate Irish names. As a form of Ó Luanaigh, 'descendant of Luanach' (derivative of luan, warrior, champion), he calls it 'a Munster surname, found chiefly in Cork and Clare'; as a form of Ó Luinigh, 'descendant of Luineach', he gives the name of a family of Cinel Moen in Ulster. In 1890, all 23 entries including spelling varieties (22 spelled Looney) in Matheson's index were in Munster.

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Coat of arms associated with the Looney surname
Irish formÓ Luanaigh / Ó Luinigh
MeaningÓ Luanaigh: 'descendant of Luanach' (derivative of luan, warrior, champion); Ó Luinigh: 'descendant of Luineach'
CountiesCork, Clare, Tyrone, Fermanagh
Other spellings6

Origin of the Looney name

Woulfe prints Looney under two names: Ó Luanaigh, 'a Munster surname, found chiefly in Cork and Clare'; and Ó Luinigh, 'the name of a family of Cinel Moen in Ulster', originally seated in the barony of Raphoe.[1][2]

  1. 1090Four Masters: Gillachrist Ua Luinigh, lord of Cinel-Moen, is killed by Domhnall O'Lochlainn.[4]
  2. 1178Four Masters: Conor, son of Conallagh O'Loony, assumed the chieftainship of Kinel-Moen.[5]
  3. 1178Four Masters: the Kinel-Moen deposed Conor, son of Conallagh, three months afterwards.[5]
  4. 189023 entries including spelling varieties (22 spelled Looney), all in Munster; Cork and Clare named.[3]

Where in Ireland

Co. CorkWoulfe: Ó Luanaigh is 'found chiefly in Cork and Clare'; Matheson 1890 names Cork and Clare.[1][3]
Co. ClareWoulfe: Ó Luanaigh is 'found chiefly in Cork and Clare'; Matheson 1890 names Cork and Clare.[1][3]
Co. TyroneWoulfe: the Ó Luinigh family settled in a district there, called Muinter Loony.[2]
Co. FermanaghWoulfe: the Ó Luinigh name is now very common there.[2]

Other spellings

O'Looney · Loony · Lowney · Lunny · Lunney · Loney[1]

The Looney coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Looney surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Looney crest gifts

Clan Olooney Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapNK60 Classic Cap - Olooney Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Olooney Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Looney Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapOE20 Classic Cap - Looney Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Looney Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00

Looney surname: questions

What does the surname Looney mean?

Woulfe gives two origins: Ó Luanaigh, 'descendant of Luanach' (derivative of luan, warrior, champion), and Ó Luinigh, 'descendant of Luineach'.[1][2]

Where in Ireland is the Looney name from?

For Ó Luanaigh Woulfe says 'a Munster surname, found chiefly in Cork and Clare'. For Ó Luinigh he says a family of Cinel Moen in Ulster, originally seated in the barony of Raphoe.[1][2]

Where were Looneys found in Ireland in 1890?

Matheson's 1890 birth index has 23 entries including spelling varieties (22 spelled Looney), all in Munster, with Cork and Clare named.[3]

What do the Annals of the Four Masters say about the O'Loonys?

Four Masters: under 1178 Conor, son of Conallagh O'Loony, assumed the chieftainship of Kinel-Moen; under 1090 Gillachrist Ua Luinigh, lord of Cinel-Moen, was killed by Domhnall O'Lochlainn.[4][5]

Sources

  1. Ó Luanaigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/ol/o-luanaigh.php
  2. Ó Luinigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/ol/o-luinigh.php
  3. Looney — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/looney.php
  4. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1090 (part 19) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005B/text019.html
  5. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1178 (part 1) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005C/text001.html

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).