2000
#2,435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,610
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.05
Uncommon Last name
Mcclelland
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "land of the servant of Fillan."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,417 Americans carry the last name Mcclelland. That puts it at #2,622 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,232 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcclelland 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mcclelland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,232
Census rank
#2,622
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,444 bearers of the surname Mcclelland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2622nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcclelland, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcclelland
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcclelland, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcclelland 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 Mcclelland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.2% · 10,921
- Black or African American10.8% · 1,448
- Two or more races3.5% · 472
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 457
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 56
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcclelland
Mcclelland 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
#2,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,092
+482 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 4.78
Rank movement Down 129 places
2020
#2,622
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,444
-648 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 4.50
Rank movement Down 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,435 | 13,610 | 5.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,564 | 14,092 | 4.78 | +482 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 129 places |
| 2020 | #2,622 | 13,444 | 4.50 | -648 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 58 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 Mcclelland 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 | #2,564 | #2,622 | -2.3% |
| Count | 14,092 | 13,444 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.78 | 4.50 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcclelland bearers went from 14,092 to 13,444 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,564 to #2,622.
FAQ
Mcclelland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcclelland?
Name Census estimates that about 15,417 living Americans carry the surname Mcclelland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,232 residents.
How common is Mcclelland?
Mcclelland ranks #2,622 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,444 people with the surname Mcclelland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,417), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Mcclelland.
Has Mcclelland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcclelland went from 14,092 recorded bearers to 13,444. That is a decrease of 648 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,564 to #2,622.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcclelland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcclelland, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mcclelland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.2% (10,921 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcclelland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.2%), Black (10.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Mcclelland (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 Mcclelland mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "land of the servant of 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 Mcclelland (4.50 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 have the last name Mcclelland?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Mcclelland on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.