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

McClellan, 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 McClellan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McClellan in America

McClellan is the 1356th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McClellan surname appeared 26,060 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname McClellan.

We can also compare 2010 data for McClellan 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 McClellan

The surname McClellan is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Gaelic 'Mac Gill Fhaolain' which translates to 'son of the servant or follower of St. Fillan'. St. Fillan was a Scottish abbot and saint who lived in the 8th century. The name is closely associated with the areas of Perthshire and Argyllshire in Scotland.

Early references to the name can be found in the 14th century, with records of Andrew McClellan witnessing a charter in 1363. The name is also mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1488, where a 'Patrick McGillefelane' is recorded.

The earliest known bearer of the name was Sir William McClellan, who was granted lands in Kirkcudbright, Scotland in the 15th century. His descendants went on to establish themselves as a prominent family in that region.

In the 16th century, the McClellans were involved in the famous feud between the Maxwells and the Johnstones, with both sides claiming ownership of certain lands. This feud was a significant event in the history of the Scottish Borders during that period.

One of the most notable figures with the McClellan surname was George B. McClellan (1826-1885), a prominent American Civil War general who commanded the Union Army of the Potomac. His cautious approach and reluctance to engage in decisive battles led to his eventual removal from command.

Other historically significant McClellan individuals include John McClellan (1815-1892), an American politician who served as a representative from Pennsylvania, and John L. McClellan (1896-1977), a U.S. Senator from Arkansas who chaired the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

In literature, the McClellan name appears in the works of Sir Walter Scott, who featured characters with the surname in his novels 'The Antiquary' and 'Old Mortality'.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McClellan

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

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

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

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