The baby name Lough is a Unisex name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced Common Anglicized: 'LOCK' (/lɒk/). Traditional Irish/Scottish: 'LOCH' with a guttural fricative (/lɒx/ or /lɔːx/)..
Lough is English, Irish, Scottish Gaelic in Origin.
The baby name Lough is a Unisex name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced Common Anglicized: 'LOCK' (/lɒk/). Traditional Irish/Scottish: 'LOCH' with a guttural fricative (/lɒx/ or /lɔːx/)..
Lough is English, Irish, Scottish Gaelic in Origin.
Rooted in Irish and Scottish usage, Lough is the Hiberno-English spelling of Gaelic loch, from Proto-Celtic *loko-, denoting a lake or sea inlet. The term appears in countless place names (e.g., Lough Neagh), and the name carries serene, water-themed imagery. Pronunciation varies by region: often “lock,” sometimes with the Scottish/Gaelic throaty final sound.
As a given name, Lough is rare and modern, emerging from surname and toponym traditions in Ireland, Scotland, and the wider Anglophone world since the late 20th century. It reads as a unisex, nature-inspired choice. Close variants and relatives include Loch (the Scottish form), and the Anglicized Lock/Locke used as personal names and surnames; all overlap in contemporary usage, though Locke historically referred to a locksmith. Note that Loch also functions as a short form of Lachlan, a different name etymologically. Overall meaning centers on “lake; inlet; water.”
Lough is vanishingly rare. We hold just 9 recorded uses of it, from 6 countries.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SD | Boys | 0 | #466 | 1 | 10,523 |
| NG | Boys | 0 | #999 | 3 | 16,906 |
| MX | Boys | 0 | #1,033 | 1 | 16,355 |
| MA | 0 | #1,198 | 2 | 20,986 | |
| DZ | 0 | #1,234 | 1 | 20,130 | |
| ZA | Boys | 0 | #1,272 | 1 | 25,619 |
Lough is popular in 6 countries — most recent births per country:
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