 A twelfth or thirteenth century gloss on the tribe's name says that Loígsech comes from '.The word ', literally 'calf or fawn', has the figurative meaning of 'favorite or darling', while "" means 'more than; above or beyond'.Before migrating to Leinster, the Loígis belonged to the northeastern Irish Dál nAraidi, a confederation of tribes that claimed descent from the eponymous ancestor Fiachu Araide (Fachtna Araide).