MacCarthy MacCarthy MacCarthy (Irish: Mac Cárthaigh), also spelled Macarthy, McCarthy or McCarty, is a Gaelic Irish clan originating from Munster, an area they ruled during the Middle Ages. It was and continues to be divided into several great branches. The MacCarthy Reagh, MacCarthy of Muskerry, and MacCarthy of Duhallow dynasties were the three most important of these, after the central or MacCarthy Mór line. Their name, meaning "son of Cárthach" (whose name meant "loving"), is a common surname that originated in Ireland. As a surname, its prevalent spelling in the English language is McCarthy. Several variants are found, such as McCarty
McLaughlin (surname) and M(a)cLoughlin are rarely English forms of the surname "ó/ní Lachtna", a phonetic corruption of the much more common "Loughney" or "M(a)cLoughney". Unlike Irish surnames that have only one Gaelic source for their English form, it is not possible to tell by the spelling "McLaughlin" and other English spellings whether the person bearing the name is descended from the "Mac/Nic Lochlainn" family, the "Ó/Ní M(h)ǽilsheáchlainn" family, or the "Ó/Ní Lachtna" family. [[Category:Anglicised Scottish Gaelic-language surnames]] [[Category:Anglicised Irish-language surnames]] [[Category:Surnames of Ulster-Scottish origin]] [[Category:Patronymic surnames]] McLaughlin (surname) M(a)cLaughlin is the most common English form of "Mac Lochlainn", a masculine surname of