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

McClam, 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 McClam surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McClam in America

McClam is the 23315th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McClam surname appeared 1,092 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname McClam.

We can also compare 2010 data for McClam 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 McClam

The surname MCCLAM is of Scottish origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic personal name "Gille Cam," which translates to "servant of the crooked or one-eyed one." This name may have initially referred to someone who served a person with a physical deformity or was a servant in the household of a clan chief.

The earliest recorded instances of the MCCLAM surname can be found in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the counties of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. Historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries show variations in the spelling, such as McCalam, McCallum, and Maccallam, reflecting the phonetic transcription of the name from Gaelic to English.

One of the earliest known bearers of the MCCLAM surname was John McCalam, who was mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1456. These rolls were financial records maintained by the Scottish crown, indicating that John McCalam held a position of some importance during that time.

In the 16th century, the MCCLAM name appeared in the Ragman Rolls, a historical document containing the names of Scottish landowners and noblemen who swore fealty to King Edward I of England in 1296. This suggests that members of the MCCLAM family were landowners or held positions of authority within the Scottish feudal system.

During the 17th century, the MCCLAM surname gained prominence in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the region of Argyll. One notable figure from this period was Archibald McClam (1649-1721), a Presbyterian minister and chaplain to the Marquess of Argyll. He was known for his influential sermons and writings on religious matters.

In the 18th century, the MCCLAM name appeared in the records of the Scottish Jacobite Risings, where several individuals bearing the surname fought for the restoration of the Stuart monarchy. One such person was Duncan McClam (1720-1795), who served as a captain in the Jacobite forces during the 1745 rebellion.

Throughout the 19th century, the MCCLAM surname spread beyond Scotland as Scottish immigrants settled in various parts of the British Empire and the United States. One notable individual from this era was Robert McClam (1815-1890), a Scottish-born entrepreneur who established a successful textile business in New York City.

By the 20th century, the MCCLAM surname had become well-established in various parts of the English-speaking world, with notable individuals such as James McClam (1902-1978), a renowned British-born architect who designed numerous notable buildings in Australia, and Mary McClam (1920-2005), an American author and historian who wrote extensively about the Scottish diaspora in North America.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McClam

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

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 McClam 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 McClam 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 McClam was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!