2000
#12,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,356
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Maclin
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Gille Fhaolain, meaning "son of the servant of Saint Fillan."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,980 Americans carry the last name Maclin. That puts it at #11,570 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,018 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maclin surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 115,018
Census rank
#11,570
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,599 bearers of the surname Maclin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11570th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maclin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.6%. The next largest groups are White (19.5%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maclin
The surname MACLIN has its origins in Scotland, emerging around the 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic form "Mac Gille Fhionndain," which translates to "son of the fair-haired lad." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for someone with light-colored hair.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MACLIN name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where it appears as "Makillewynyn." This medieval document recorded the names of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
The MACLIN name has been associated with various regions in Scotland, including Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and the Hebrides Islands. It is believed that the name originated in the Western Isles, where the Clan MacLean held significant influence and territory.
In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the MACLIN name was Sir Robert Maclin (c. 1520 - 1590), a Scottish courtier and diplomat who served under Mary, Queen of Scots. He was instrumental in negotiating the Treaty of Edinburgh in 1560, which aimed to resolve the ongoing conflicts between Scotland and England.
Another prominent figure associated with the MACLIN surname was John Maclin (1690 - 1765), a Scottish Presbyterian minister who emigrated to colonial America in the early 18th century. He established several churches in Pennsylvania and played a significant role in the religious and cultural life of the region.
In the literary realm, Robert Maclin (1803 - 1878) was a Scottish poet and writer whose works celebrated the traditions and landscapes of his native land. His most famous collection, "Songs of the Highlands," published in 1845, gained widespread acclaim for its vivid portrayal of Scottish life and culture.
The MACLIN name has also been linked to various place names in Scotland, such as Machlin in Argyll and Bute, and Maclinburgh in the Scottish Borders. These locations may have served as historical residences or strongholds for families bearing the MACLIN surname.
Throughout history, the MACLIN name has undergone various spellings, including MacLin, McLin, and Maklin, reflecting the diverse dialects and regional variations of Scotland. Nonetheless, the name has maintained its distinct Scottish heritage and continues to be a recognizable surname in modern times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maclin
Among Census respondents with the surname Maclin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.6%. The next largest groups are White (19.5%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Maclin bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Maclin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American71.6% · 1,860
- White19.5% · 507
- Two or more races5.3% · 137
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maclin
Maclin appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,722
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,673
+317 bearers (+13.5%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 417 places
2020
#11,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,599
-74 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,139 | 2,356 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,722 | 2,673 | 0.91 | +317 bearers (+13.5%) | Up 417 places |
| 2020 | #11,570 | 2,599 | 0.87 | -74 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 152 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Maclin surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,722 | #11,570 | 1.3% |
| Count | 2,673 | 2,599 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.87 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maclin bearers went from 2,673 to 2,599 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 152 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,722 to #11,570.
FAQ
Maclin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maclin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,980 living Americans carry the surname Maclin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,018 residents.
How common is Maclin?
Maclin ranks #11,570 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,599 people with the surname Maclin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,980), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Maclin.
Has Maclin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maclin went from 2,673 recorded bearers to 2,599. That is a decrease of 74 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,722 to #11,570.
What does the Census say about the background of Maclin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maclin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.6%. The next largest groups are White (19.5%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Maclin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.6% (1,860 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maclin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (71.6%), White (19.5%), Two or More Races (5.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Maclin (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Maclin mean?
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Gille Fhaolain, meaning "son of the servant of Saint Fillan." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Maclin (0.87 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Maclin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.