Find out how popular the last name MacFarlane is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named MacFarlane.

MacFarlane, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the MacFarlane surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of MacFarlane in America

MacFarlane is the 7243rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The MacFarlane surname appeared 4,605 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname MacFarlane.

We can also compare 2010 data for MacFarlane to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name MacFarlane

The surname MacFarlane has its origins in the western Scottish Highlands, particularly around the region of Argyll and the Inner Hebrides islands. It is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Gaelic "mac" meaning "son of" and the personal name "Parlan" or "Parlan-og" meaning "little Parlan".

The name first appears in historical records around the 13th century, with the earliest known reference being to a Gilchrist MacParlane in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document recording those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The MacFarlanes were a powerful clan in the Arrochar area of Argyll, with their seat at the castle of Inveruglas on Loch Lomond.

In the 16th century, the MacFarlanes were involved in the infamous feud with the Colquhouns of Luss, a long-running dispute over land and power in the region. This feud is referenced in the traditional Scottish ballad "The Lads of Inveruglas", which tells of a battle between the two clans in 1592.

One of the most notable figures in MacFarlane history is Walter MacFarlane of Arrochar (c.1580-c.1660), a respected scholar and antiquarian who produced the "Geographical Collections" – a valuable record of Scottish place names and their origins. Another prominent MacFarlane was Duncan MacFarlane (1770-1857), a Scottish explorer and fur trader who was instrumental in the early exploration of the Canadian Northwest.

Other notable individuals with the surname include John MacFarlane (1857-1944), a Scottish-born Australian politician and Premier of Queensland from 1925 to 1929, and Norman MacFarlane (1923-2019), a British actor best known for his roles in films such as "Ghandi" and "The Elephant Man".

The MacFarlane name has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Inverioch in Dunbartonshire, which was formerly known as "Innerlugnoch" or "Inverlugnoch" – meaning "the mouth of the loch of the MacFarlanes".

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name MacFarlane

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname MacFarlane.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for MacFarlane was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of MacFarlane has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name MacFarlane was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of MacFarlane, please contact us.

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