Show ContentsLooby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Looby

What does the name Looby mean?

The surname Looby comes from the original Irish Ó Lubaigh.

Early Origins of the Looby family

The surname Looby was first found in County Tipperary (Irish: Thiobraid Árann), established in the 13th century in South-central Ireland, in the province of Munster, where in 1659, they were recorded in Petty's census as a principal name in the barony of Iffa and Offa. There is a place in the nearby parish of Galbally named Ballylooby, after the family.

Early History of the Looby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Looby research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1665, 1800, 1822, 1870 and 1901 are included under the topic Early Looby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Looby Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Luby, Looby, Lube, O'Luby and others.

Early Notables of the Looby family

Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Looby Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Looby migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Looby Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Looby, who emigrated from Ireland to America between 1736 and 1743
Looby Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Looby, aged 15, who landed in New York, NY in 1849 1
  • Mary Looby, aged 51, who arrived in New York, NY in 1849 1
  • Thomas Looby and his wife, who died in Detroit in 1855
  • Thomas Looby, who arrived in St Clair County, Illinois in 1858 1

Looby migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Looby Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • William Looby, who was recorded in Toronto in 1844
  • Mary Looby, who was counted in an 1871 census in Ontario

Looby migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Looby Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Looby (post 1700) +

  • Zephaniah Alexander Looby (1899-1972), American lawyer active in the American Civil Rights Movement
  • Bill Looby (1931-1998), American soccer player, an inductee into the American National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2001
  • Christopher Looby, American literary critic
  • Z. Alexander Looby, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Tennessee, 1956 3
  • Robert E. Looby, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Minnesota, 1928 3
  • Joseph Lawrence Looby (1917-2001), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Wisconsin State Assembly, 1969-74 3
  • Kurt Looby (b. 1984), Antiguan professional basketball player
  • Mic Looby, Australian author and illustrator
  • Keith Looby (b. 1940), Australian artist
  • Anne Looby, Australian actress


The Looby Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Virtus propter se
Motto Translation: Virtue for its own sake.


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  2. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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