[Surname] Surname: Larkin
Anyone know the origin or meaning of the surname "Larkin"? I have been told that it is an Irish name and I have seen trinkets at Irish fairs and stores with this name on them, so I believe that it is, in fact, Irish, but I can't find any information on it. Thanks!
Replies
Strictly speaking it's English, a diminutive form of the male name Laurence, in the style of Wilkin, Jenkin, Hopkin. However, it was adopted by Irish families with the surname Ó Lorcáin as an English substitute for their Gaelic name. Ó Lorcain, means "descendant of Lorcán", which is a man's name believed to be from the word lorc, "rough, fierce". there were four identifiable families of this name in medieval Ireland, in Wexford. Armagh, Galway, and Tipperary, so it belongs to all four provinces.
You'll probably find this website of interest. I glanced at the page on origins and it seems to stick to the known facts.
You'll probably find this website of interest. I glanced at the page on origins and it seems to stick to the known facts.