Larkin Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Larkin Family History

Larkin Family History

The family history of the ancient name Larkin was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Larkin include Lorcan and Larkins. It is rare in modern times to find the prefix O with this name which was borne by a number of distinct and unrelated septs. The most important of these was O'Lorcain of Leinster, a sept of royal blood in that Province but who were dispossessed of their patrimony in the barony of Forth in County Wexford by the Anglo-Norman invaders. The lesser families however, remained on their lands and the name is still fairly numerous in Leinster. The other Counties in which Larkin is chiefly found today are Armagh, Galway and Tipperary. Each of these is the homeland of one of the several septs referred to above. Those of Armagh descend from the Oriel Ui Lorcain, Chiefs of Farney and of West Ui Breasail. The Galway Larkins are of the same origin as the O'Maddens.The Larkin family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Larkin descendants.