Looney Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Looney Family History

Looney Family History

The ancient origin of the name Looney 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 Looney include Lunney and O'Looney. This name in Irish is O'Luinigh and the latter variants are the anglicized forms of this. This sept came from Donegal.

A sept or clan is a collective term describing a group of persons whose immediate ancestors bore a common surname and inhabited the same territory. It is also the case that many Irish septs or clans that are related often belong to a larger groups, sometimes called tribes. For example the 'Tribes of Galway' consisted of fourteen distinct families. The 'Tribes of Kilkenny' were ten families, etc.

This sept was of importance in the mediaeval period, they being Chiefs of Cenel Moen in the Barony of Raphoe, from where they were driven across the Foyle into the Barony of Strabane. They became firmly established in that Barony and gave their name to the Munterlooney area in Tyrone. Brian O'Looney, 1837-1901, was a Gaelic poet and scholar. John Luony of Kinsale was captured by the authorities in the year 1712. The name is found in considerable numbers in West Cork and at the present time in Ulster they are to be found in their original homeland of Fermanagh.The Looney 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 Looney descendants.