Lachlan (name)

The name is an Anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic Lachlann, which is in turn derived from the earlier Gaelic personal name Lochlann.[2]

In the ninth century, the terms Laithlinn / Laithlind (etc.), appear in historical sources as terms denoting the origin of Vikings active in Ireland. The exact meaning behind these terms is uncertain.[3] What is clear, however, is that the terms Lochlann / Lochlainn (etc.) came to replace these earlier terms; and that, by the eleventh century, Lochlann / Lochlainn certainly referred to Norway in historical sources. Whether the terms Lochlann / Lochlainn were originally related to Laithlinn / Laithlind, or merely conflated with them, is unknown.[4] In mediaeval Irish literature, the term Lochlann refers to a vague faraway place: sometimes the Otherworld, and sometimes Scandinavia.[5]

Pet forms of Lachlan include Lachie, Lachy,[6] and Lockie[7] (/ˈlɒki/ LOK-ee).[8] A feminine form of the name is Lachina.[9] A related form of Lachlan is the Irish Lochlainn.[10] Anglicised forms of this latter name include Laughlin[11] (/ˈlɒklɪn, ˈlɒxlɪn, ˈlɒflɪn/ LOK(H)-lin, LOF-lin)[12] and Loughlin[13] (/ˈlɒklɪn/ LOK-lin).[14] Lochlainn has also been rendered into English as Lawrence.[15] A variant form of Lachlann in Argyll is Lachann,[16] a name influenced by the similarly sounding (though etymologically unrelated) Eachann.[17][note 1] Historically, the name Lachlan and its variants were most commonly found in Argyll.[20] The following proverb contains the name Lachlan : "Mar mhadadh ag ol eanruich ainmean Chlann ‘ll ‘Eathain “Eachann, Lachann.” or; "Like a hound lapping broth are the names of the Clan Maclean "Eachan, Lachan" "Hector, Lachlan".[21][22][23]

The senior branch of Clan Maclean are the Macleans of Duart. This branch was established in the 14th century on the Inner Hebridean Isle of Mull. The first Laird was known as Lachainn Lubanach or "Lachlan the crafty". Of the first fourteen Lairds of Duart, seven were named Lachlan and seven were named Hector.[24] Forms of the name Lochlainn were borne by Uí Néill and other families in the Early Middle Ages. Before the beginning of the nineteenth century, forms of the name were common amongst families in northern Ireland, but have since become unfashionable.[15] Forms of the name Lachlan were historically common amongst families with connections to the Scottish Highlands,[25] but have become popular in Australia and New Zealand.[6] A less common variant is the name Lauchlan.

Modern patronymic forms of the personal name Lochlann include the Irish surnames Mac Lochlainn,[26] and Ó Lochlainn.[27] A patronymic form of the personal name Lachlann is the Scottish Gaelic surname MacLachlainn.[28] Forms of the personal names first appear on record in the tenth century. The earliest known bearer of such names was Lochlaind mac Maíl Shechnaill, heir of the Corca Mruad, whose death is noted by the Annals of Inisfallen in 983.[29] Another member of the Corca Mruad, a certain Lochlainn, is recorded by the same source to have been slain in 1015.[29] Afterwards, the principal family of the region was the Uí Lochlainn, who bore the surname Ua Lochlainn.[30] In Ulster, the Annals of Ulster record the slaying of a Lochlainn mac Maíl Shechlainn, an Uí Néill dynast, in 1023.[29] This man's powerful grandson, Domnall Ua Lochlainn, High King of Ireland, ensured that their descendants, the Meic Lochlainn, bore the surnames Mac Lochlainn and Ua Lochlainn.[30] The eponymous ancestor of the Scottish Clann Lachlainn, traditionally regarded as yet another branch of the Uí Néill, was a much later man who bore a form of the name Lachlan.[31]

In the 2000s and 2010s, Lachlan was a common baby name in Australia and New Zealand,[6] ranking within the top ten masculine names registered in several Australian states. In 2008, Lachlan was ranked as the third most popular masculine baby name in New South Wales, with 581 registered that year.[32] The same year, the name was ranked as the sixth most popular masculine baby name in Victoria, with 438 registered.[33] In 2013 it was the tenth most popular name for boys in Australia.[34] In 2018, the name was more popular in New Zealand than in Australia, as it ranked 13th in New Zealand, and 17th in Australia. The name used to be popular in Scotland, and Ireland, but the use of the name in those countries has been decreasing in recent years.

• Lachlan Fraser, from the Australian soap opera Home and Away
• Lachlan "Lockie" Leonard, main character in Tim Winton's Lockie Leonard books