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

McLain, 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 McLain surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McLain in America

McLain is the 2109th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McLain surname appeared 17,152 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname McLain.

We can also compare 2010 data for McLain 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 McLain

The surname MCLAIN has its origins in Scotland, where it first appeared as a variant of the more common Scottish surname McLean. The name is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "Lìoghain" or "Gillìoghain," which were ancient personal names meaning "descendant of the servant" or "follower of the servant" respectively.

The earliest recorded instances of the MCLAIN name can be traced back to the 13th century in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyll and the Hebrides Islands. The name was frequently anglicized to McLean or McClain, with various spellings such as McLaine, McLain, and McLayne appearing in historical records.

In the 16th century, a prominent figure bearing the MCLAIN name was Sir Lachlan Mor McLean, a chief of the Clan McLean who played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation. He was born around 1510 and was known for his support of the Protestant cause and his involvement in the Isles Revolt against the Catholic Church.

Another notable person with the MCLAIN surname was John McLain, a Scottish soldier and explorer who served in the British Army during the late 18th century. He was born in 1755 and was part of the expedition led by Captain James Cook, helping to map the western coast of North America and the Hawaiian Islands.

In the 19th century, a prominent American politician named John MCLAIN hailed from Ohio. Born in 1785, he served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1823 to 1829 and was known for his support of the Whig Party and his advocacy for infrastructure development.

The name MCLAIN has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as McLain's Point in Argyll and McLain's Bay in the Isle of Islay. These locations likely derived their names from early settlers or landowners bearing the MCLAIN surname.

Another notable figure with the MCLAIN surname was William MCLAIN, a Scottish-born American businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1830 to 1905. He made his fortune in the steel industry and donated significant funds to educational institutions and charities, particularly in his adopted home of Pennsylvania.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McLain

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

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

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

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