Maclyn
A masculine name derived from Gaelic meaning "son of the tonsured servant".
Name Census estimates that about 95 living Americans carry the first name Maclyn. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 86.4% of registrations being female. The average person named Maclyn today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maclyn births was 2018 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maclyn. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Maclyn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
95
~ 1 in 3,607,940 Americans
Peak year
2018
18 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2018 SSA rank
#11,618
Tracked since 1927
Census
Maclyn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 201 people with the first name Maclyn, which placed it at #38,294 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#38,294
National first-name rank
People counted
201
201 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
84.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maclyn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Maclyn is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.0%) and Black (2.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Maclyn described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Maclyn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.6% · 170
- Two or more races8.0% · 16
- Black or African American2.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 5
Gender
Gender distribution for Maclyn
Maclyn leans heavily female at 86.4% of total registrations, but 14 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Maclyn as a male name
- Ranked #11,618 in 2018
- 6 male births in 2018
- Peak: 1927 (8 births)
Maclyn as a female name
- Ranked #16,692 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (13 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Maclyn on both sides of the split. Of the 204 people counted with this name, 92 were male (45.1%) and 112 were female (54.9%).
Popularity
Maclyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maclyn from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 59 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Maclyn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maclyn 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 Maclyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Maclyn
Maclyn is a given name with its roots in the Scottish and Irish Gaelic languages. The name is derived from the Gaelic word "mac", meaning "son", and the name "Lynn", which means "lake" or "pool". This combination suggests that the name Maclyn may have originated from a Scottish or Irish clan residing near a body of water, likely a lake or a pool.
The earliest known recorded use of the name Maclyn can be traced back to the 16th century, when it appeared in Scottish and Irish historical records and family chronicles. However, its usage was relatively rare during that time period.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Maclyn was Maclyn MacDonald, a Scottish nobleman who lived in the late 16th century. He was a prominent member of the MacDonald clan and played a significant role in the clan's affairs during the turbulent times of the Scottish clan wars.
In the 17th century, Maclyn O'Brien, an Irish soldier and military leader, gained recognition for his bravery and leadership during the Irish Confederate Wars. He was born in 1615 and served as a commander in the Irish Confederate Army, fighting against the English forces during the conflict.
Another notable figure in history with the name Maclyn was Maclyn Cameron, a Scottish poet and writer who lived in the late 18th century. Born in 1756, he was acclaimed for his poetic works that celebrated the natural beauty of the Scottish Highlands and the rich cultural heritage of his homeland.
In the 19th century, Maclyn Arbuckle, an American industrialist and entrepreneur, made a name for himself in the business world. Born in 1823, he founded the Arbuckle Brothers company, which became a leading producer of coffee and other consumer goods in the United States.
Maclyn Duggan, an Irish-American author and journalist, was a prominent figure in the early 20th century literary scene. Born in 1890, he was known for his insightful writings on social and political issues, as well as his contributions to various publications during his lifetime.
While the name Maclyn has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural heritage.
People
Maclyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maclyn 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
Maclyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maclyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 95 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maclyn 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 3,607,940 US residents.
Is Maclyn a common name?
We classify Maclyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 63.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 103 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maclyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Maclyn was 2018, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maclyn is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Maclyn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 201 people with the name Maclyn, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #38,294 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Maclyn in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Maclyn?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Maclyn on both sides of the split. Of the 204 people counted with this name, 92 were male (45.1%) and 112 were female (54.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Maclyn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Maclyn is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.0%) and Black (2.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Maclyn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Maclyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.6% (170 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Maclyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Maclyn a female name?
Yes, 86.4% of people registered as Maclyn in the SSA data are female. 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.
Is Maclyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Maclyn in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Maclyn can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people have Maclyn as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.