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

McClelland, 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 McClelland surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McClelland in America

McClelland is the 2564th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McClelland surname appeared 14,092 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname McClelland.

We can also compare 2010 data for McClelland 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 McClelland

The surname McClelland is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic Mac Gille Fhaolain, meaning "son of the servant of St. Fillan". It is believed to have originated in the region of Perthshire, Scotland, where the village of Killin was dedicated to St. Fillan.

The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 13th century, when a John McGillelane is mentioned in the records of the monastery of Inchaffray in Perthshire. The name appeared in various spellings throughout history, such as McGillellane, McGillelane, and McClellane, before settling on the modern form of McClelland.

One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Sir Patrick McClelland, who fought alongside Sir William Wallace during the Scottish Wars of Independence in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. His descendant, Sir Robert McClelland, was a prominent soldier and landowner in the 16th century.

The McClelland family established themselves as landowners and tenants in the counties of Ayr, Kirkcudbright, and Wigtownshire in southwestern Scotland. In the 17th century, Samuel McClelland was a Presbyterian minister and leading figure in the Scottish Covenanters' struggle against the imposition of Episcopacy.

Another notable figure was John McClelland (1698-1743), a Presbyterian minister and author who emigrated from Ireland to Massachusetts in 1718. He played a significant role in the establishment of Presbyterianism in New England.

In the 19th century, George McClelland (1826-1885) was a respected American businessman and philanthropist, known for his support of educational institutions and the establishment of the McClelland Public Library in Pueblo, Colorado.

The surname McClelland has a rich history, with its roots firmly planted in the Scottish Highlands and its bearers leaving their mark on various fields, from military service and religious reforms to business and philanthropy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McClelland

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

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

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

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