Lochlann

Lochlann belongs to an Irish name family that grew from a historical name for Scandinavia. It is traditionally explained as “land of lakes,” with loch supplying the lake element. In Irish usage, the term was associated with the northern lands and their people, including the Vikings. The personal name preserves a trace of the contact between Ireland and the Norse world.

Lochlainn and Lochlan are close Irish forms, while Lachlan is the familiar Scottish relative. The surname Mac Lochlainn also belongs to this family, carrying the older personal name into later generations. Lochlann therefore has more behind it than an appealing landscape image: it records how one culture named another. Its double n distinguishes this spelling from Lochlan without changing the underlying historical connection.