Maclean
Son of the red-haired man or son of a servant.
Name Census estimates that about 287 living Americans carry the first name Maclean. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Maclean today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maclean births was 1998 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maclean. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
287
~ 1 in 1,194,266 Americans
Peak year
1998
23 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,426
Tracked since 1987
Popularity
Maclean: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maclean from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 107 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maclean by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Maclean during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Macleans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Maclean
Maclean is a Scottish given name that originated in the Highlands of Scotland. It is a variant spelling of the name Maclaine, which is derived from the Scottish Gaelic "MacGill'Eain" or "son of the servant of St. John". This suggests that the name has a religious connection to St. John the Baptist or St. John the Evangelist.
The earliest documented use of the name Maclean dates back to the 13th century, when the Clan Maclean emerged as a prominent Scottish clan in the Hebrides islands off the west coast of Scotland. The Clan Maclean was known for their fierce warriors and their strategic control of several islands, including the Isle of Mull.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Maclean was Gillean of the Battleaxe, a renowned 13th-century warrior and chief of the Clan Maclean. He was said to have fought alongside King Alexander III of Scotland in the Battle of Largs against the Norse invaders in 1263.
Another notable figure in history with the name Maclean was Sir John Maclean, a Scottish knight who fought alongside King Robert the Bruce during the Scottish Wars of Independence in the early 14th century. He was known for his bravery and loyalty to the Scottish cause.
In the 16th century, Sir Lachlan Maclean of Duart was a prominent chief of the Clan Maclean and a key figure in the complex political and military affairs of the Hebrides islands. He was involved in conflicts with the MacDonalds of Islay and played a role in the Anglo-Scottish wars of the time.
During the 17th century, Sir Hector Maclean was a Scottish soldier and royalist who fought for King Charles I during the English Civil War. He was captured at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 and later exiled to the Netherlands, where he continued his military service.
In the 18th century, Maclean of Torloisk was a Scottish Jacobite who fought for the House of Stuart during the Jacobite risings. He was captured after the Battle of Culloden in 1746 and later pardoned, but his family's lands were forfeited.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the given name Maclean, reflecting its Scottish Highland origins and connections to clan heritage, military service, and political allegiances.
People
Maclean + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maclean as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Maclean: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maclean?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 287 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maclean going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,194,266 US residents.
Is Maclean a common name?
We classify Maclean as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 291 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maclean most popular?
The single biggest year for Maclean was 1998, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maclean is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Maclean a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maclean in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.