boy's name
Lochlainn
LOKH-lin (Irish)
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 9
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 367
Ireland
#279
2025 births
Lochlainn is a boy's name of Gaelic origin meaning "land of the lochs," which was the Irish name for Scandinavia — so in use it meant Viking. It ranks 159th in Northern Ireland and is at its peak.
- Lochlainn is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in Ireland in 2025, when 16 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in Ireland.
- Today about 1 in 2,803 babies in Ireland is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1980.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Lochlainn Over Time
Births per decade in Ireland, 1980s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1980s | 3 |
| 1990s | 3 |
| 2000s | 20 |
| 2010s | 70 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 58 |
What Lochlainn Means
Lochlainn means land of lakes or fjords. Irish speakers used Lochlann for Scandinavia, particularly Norway, so a man called Lochlainn was a Norseman — the name is an ethnic label rather than a description.
Where Lochlainn Comes From
Lochlainn is the Irish spelling of the Gaelic Lochlann, from loch, a lake or sea inlet, and used from the Viking age as the name for Scandinavia — a country seen from Ireland as a place of fjords. The name entered Irish and Scottish use during the centuries of Norse settlement, when intermarriage between Gaelic and Scandinavian families was common. The Irish form gives the surname Mac Lochlainn, anglicized MacLoughlin, and the Uí Néill branch of that name supplied several High Kings. Scotland's Lachlann gives Lachlan, which dominates in Australia through Lachlan Macquarie. Lochlan with one n is a modern simplified spelling, and Lochlainn, Lochlan and Lachlan all rank separately on record.
Lochlainn in Use
Lochlainn ranks 159th in Northern Ireland with 14 births in 2024 and 279th in Ireland, and it is rising, with at its recorded peak in 2025. It is on record from 1980. It is rare elsewhere at 2,830th in England and Wales. Lochlan ranks 61st in Scotland and Lachlan 89th, so one name occupies three separate entries across the islands.
How Popular Is Lochlainn?
In 2025, Lochlainn was given to 16 babies in Ireland, ranking #279 that year. It is a rare choice.
Where Lochlainn Is Used
Irish figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. The Central Statistics Office began recording the síneadh fada in 2018, so accented and unaccented spellings are counted separately from that year on. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Lochlainn
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Lochlainn Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Lochlainn over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Lochlainn
- Irish LOKH-lin /ˈlˠɔxlˠɪnʲ/
Lochlainn in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling Names for Lochlainn
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Lochlainn — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Lochlainn
What does the name Lochlainn mean?
Lochlainn means "land of the lochs" — the Gaelic name for Scandinavia, so in use it meant Norseman.
Is Lochlainn a Viking name?
Not Norse itself. It is the Gaelic word for a Norseman, coined by the people the Vikings settled among.
How many spellings are there?
Lochlainn, Lochlan and Lachlan all rank separately across Ireland and Scotland — one name, three entries.
How popular is Lochlainn?
159th in Northern Ireland and 279th in Ireland.
Is Lochlainn a girl's or a boy's name?
Lochlainn is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Lochlainn?
Lochlainn has 2 syllables.
Is Lochlainn a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Lochlainn currently ranks #159 in Ireland. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.