2000
#1,945
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,978
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.29
Uncommon Last name
Mclain
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Gille Eáin," meaning "son of the servant of Saint John."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,221 Americans carry the last name Mclain. That puts it at #2,097 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,832 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mclain 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 Mclain with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 17,832
Census rank
#2,097
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,762 bearers of the surname Mclain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2097th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mclain, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mclain
Among Census respondents with the surname Mclain, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mclain 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 Mclain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 14,227
- Black or African American6.6% · 1,101
- Two or more races3.9% · 653
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 571
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 120
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 90
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mclain
Mclain 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
#2,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,152
+174 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 5.81
Rank movement Down 164 places
2020
#2,097
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,762
-390 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 5.61
Rank movement Up 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,945 | 16,978 | 6.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,109 | 17,152 | 5.81 | +174 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 164 places |
| 2020 | #2,097 | 16,762 | 5.61 | -390 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 12 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 Mclain 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 | #2,109 | #2,097 | 0.6% |
| Count | 17,152 | 16,762 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 5.81 | 5.61 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mclain bearers went from 17,152 to 16,762 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,109 to #2,097.
FAQ
Mclain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mclain?
Name Census estimates that about 19,221 living Americans carry the surname Mclain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,832 residents.
How common is Mclain?
Mclain ranks #2,097 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,762 people with the surname Mclain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,221), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Mclain.
Has Mclain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mclain went from 17,152 recorded bearers to 16,762. That is a decrease of 390 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,109 to #2,097.
What does the Census say about the background of Mclain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mclain, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Mclain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (14,227 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mclain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.9%), Black (6.6%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Mclain (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 Mclain mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Gille Eáin," meaning "son of the servant of Saint John." 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 Mclain (5.61 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 many people share the surname Mclain?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.