2000
#15,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,745
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.65
Rare Last name
Mclachlan
Originating from Scottish Gaelic, a surname meaning "son of the servant".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,076 Americans carry the last name Mclachlan. That puts it at #15,549 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,103 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mclachlan 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 Mclachlan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 165,103
Census rank
#15,549
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,810 bearers of the surname Mclachlan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15549th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mclachlan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mclachlan
The surname MCLACHLAN has its origins in Scotland, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is a Scottish Gaelic name derived from the personal name "Lachlann" and the prefix "Mc" or "Mac," meaning "son of." The name Lachlann is derived from the Old Norse name "Lachlan" or "Lochlann," which means "from Norway" or "from the land of the lochs."
MCLACHLAN is a variant spelling of the more common Scottish surname MACLACHLAN. The earliest known record of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where it appears as "Gillemor Maclaghlane." This document recorded the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
In the 15th century, the MCLACHLAN clan was based in the region of Argyll and Bute, on the western coast of Scotland. They were a branch of the larger Clan Lamont and held lands around Strathlachlan, from which they took their name. The MCLACHLAN chief was known as the "Laird of Strathlachlan."
One notable figure from the MCLACHLAN clan was Archibald MCLACHLAN of Kilbride (1677-1748), who served as a captain in the British Army and fought in the Battle of Sheriffmuir during the Jacobite Rising of 1715. Another was Ewen MCLACHLAN (1775-1822), a Scottish poet and song collector from Argyll.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the name MCLACHLAN appeared in various forms in Scottish records, including MACLAUCHLANE, MACLACHLAN, and MCLAUGHLANE. The spelling MCLACHLAN became more standardized in the 19th century.
Other notable individuals with the surname MCLACHLAN include:
1. Thomas MCLACHLAN (1798-1874), a Scottish-Canadian businessman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament in Canada.
2. Robert MCLACHLAN (1837-1904), a British entomologist and author of works on neuropterid insects.
3. Edward Yeamans Walcott MCLACHLAN (1849-1920), a British military officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross for his actions during the Second Anglo-Afghan War.
4. James MCLACHLAN (1869-1937), a Scottish-Canadian trade union leader and politician who served as a Member of Parliament in Canada.
5. Sarah MCLACHLAN (born 1968), a Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-platinum recording artist known for hits like "Angel" and "Adia."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mclachlan
Among Census respondents with the surname Mclachlan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mclachlan 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 Mclachlan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 1,606
- Black or African American4.8% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 68
- Two or more races2.4% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mclachlan
Mclachlan 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
#15,471
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,893
+148 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 50 places
2020
#15,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,810
-83 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 78 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,421 | 1,745 | 0.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,471 | 1,893 | 0.64 | +148 bearers (+8.5%) | Down 50 places |
| 2020 | #15,549 | 1,810 | 0.61 | -83 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 78 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 Mclachlan 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 | #15,471 | #15,549 | -0.5% |
| Count | 1,893 | 1,810 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.61 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mclachlan bearers went from 1,893 to 1,810 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 78 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,471 to #15,549.
FAQ
Mclachlan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mclachlan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,076 living Americans carry the surname Mclachlan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,103 residents.
How common is Mclachlan?
Mclachlan ranks #15,549 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,810 people with the surname Mclachlan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,076), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mclachlan.
Has Mclachlan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mclachlan went from 1,893 recorded bearers to 1,810. That is a decrease of 83 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,471 to #15,549.
What does the Census say about the background of Mclachlan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mclachlan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Mclachlan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (1,606 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mclachlan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Black (4.8%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Mclachlan (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 Mclachlan mean?
Originating from Scottish Gaelic, a surname meaning "son of the servant". 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 Mclachlan (0.61 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 common is the surname Mclachlan?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Mclachlan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.