Recorded as O' Loughran, O' Laugheran and today more usually without the Gaelic prefix as Laugheran, Loughran, Laugharne and others, this is an Irish surname. It is of great antiquity being derived from the pre 10th century O' Luchrain. This means the male descendant of the son of bright (or resplendant) one. As to who this "bright" one was is unclear, but given that most Irish clan surnames originate from a religious or a warrior leader, this could be either. This great sept originally belonging to County Armagh, produced several distinguished ecclesiastics including Thomas O' Loughran, the Dean of Armagh, who died in 1416. Three further priests of the name were John O' Loughran, Patrick O' Loughran and Neilan Loughran, from the Order of Franciscan Monks. They dies as martyrs for the faith in the years 1576, 1612 and 1652 respectively. A separate branch of the family settled in County Tyrone about the year 1430, and the name remains prevalent there to the present day. On May 20th 1778 Charles, son of Hugh Loughran, was christened in Donaghmore, County Tyrone. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Teag O' Luchairen of County Armagh. This was dated 1399, in the "The Annals of Ulster", during the reign of King Henry 1Vth, and known as "Henry Bolingbroke", 1399 - 1413. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.