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

McFarlane, 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 McFarlane surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McFarlane in America

McFarlane is the 3795th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McFarlane surname appeared 9,319 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname McFarlane.

We can also compare 2010 data for McFarlane 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 McFarlane

The surname MCFARLANE originated in Scotland and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "Parlan" or "Parlan" which was a personal name derived from the Old Norse name "Parleikr" meaning "one who plays tricks or deceives".

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which document those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England after his conquest of Scotland. Here, the name is spelled as "Makferlane".

The MCFARLANE clan was historically associated with the area around Loch Lomond and the Arrochar Alps in the western central Highlands of Scotland. Their ancestral lands were in the parish of Arrochar in the old county of Dunbartonshire.

In the 16th century, the MCFARLANES were involved in a long-running feud with the Colquhouns of Luss, another prominent clan in the same region. This feud was famously depicted in Sir Walter Scott's novel "A Legend of Montrose" published in 1819.

One of the earliest recorded MCFARLANES was Andrew MCFARLANE, a Scottish poet who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He is known for his satirical poems and prose works, some of which were critical of the Scottish monarchy.

Another notable MCFARLANE was Walter MCFARLANE (1587-1658), a Scottish merchant and diarist who is remembered for his detailed account of daily life in Edinburgh during the 17th century.

In the 18th century, Robert MCFARLANE (1742-1804) was a prominent Scottish painter and engraver. He is best known for his landscapes and portraits of notable figures of the time.

During the 19th century, John MCFARLANE (1805-1857) was a Scottish-born Australian explorer and surveyor who played a significant role in the exploration and mapping of vast areas of eastern Australia.

In more recent times, Wilbur MCFARLANE (1900-1977) was a distinguished American judge who served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit from 1959 to 1970.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McFarlane

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

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

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

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