New Post
Search
Help[Surname] What does it mean?
I'm curious to know as it is an unusual surname where I live (Ireland) so I would like to know.
What I do know is that my great-great-grandfather was Bavarian and changed his name to Loughman from Lukeman in the early 1910's so if there is any historical links there it would be much appreciated.
What I do know is that my great-great-grandfather was Bavarian and changed his name to Loughman from Lukeman in the early 1910's so if there is any historical links there it would be much appreciated.
1
Replies
Lochmann is a German surname, and a possible origin. However, Loughman is an Irish surname that goes back several centuries, so your ancestor may have replaced his existing name with a similar sounding Irish name. I think Lukmann is also a German surname though I'm not certain.
Loch means "hole" in modern German, though there appears to have been a similar word that meant "wood, copse". So your eponymous ancestor might have lived in a place where a hole was a prominent local feature; he might have made a living digging holes, e.g., a well-digger; or he might have lived or worked in a wood.
On the other hand if the original name was more like Lukeman, forget that lot and start again.
Loch means "hole" in modern German, though there appears to have been a similar word that meant "wood, copse". So your eponymous ancestor might have lived in a place where a hole was a prominent local feature; he might have made a living digging holes, e.g., a well-digger; or he might have lived or worked in a wood.
On the other hand if the original name was more like Lukeman, forget that lot and start again.
1
There are a number of other possibilities besides Lochmann and Lukmann, including Luckmann, Lückmann, Luchmann and Luchtmann, so I don't think you can get to the bottom of this without more specific genealogical data.
1