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

McLaren, 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 McLaren surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McLaren in America

McLaren is the 5799th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McLaren surname appeared 5,968 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname McLaren.

We can also compare 2010 data for McLaren 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 McLaren

The surname McLaren is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic "mac Labhruinn" meaning "son of the freckled/bright one." It originated in the region of Argyll and the Western Isles of Scotland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists individuals who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "MacLaren" with reference to a person from the Argyll region.

In the 15th century, the McLaren clan was prominent in the area around Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. The clan's seat was at Ardveck Castle on the banks of Loch Lomond. A notable figure from this period was Lachlan McLaren, a chief of the clan who lived in the late 1400s.

The surname McLaren can also be traced back to the Isle of Mull, where a branch of the clan settled. In the 16th century, Hector McLaren, a descendant of this branch, was a renowned poet and bard who composed works in Gaelic.

During the Scottish Reformation in the 16th century, the McLarens were supporters of the Protestant cause. Sir John McLaren, a clergyman born around 1570, was a prominent figure in the Church of Scotland and played a role in the establishment of Presbyterianism.

In the 17th century, the surname spread beyond Scotland as some McLarens emigrated to other parts of the British Isles and North America. One notable individual from this period was Sir Robert McLaren, a Scottish merchant and politician who was born in 1620 and served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh.

Other notable individuals with the surname McLaren include:

• Archibald McLaren (1812-1890), a Scottish engineer and inventor who contributed to the development of the steam engine.
• Walter McLaren (1819-1904), a Scottish-born Australian politician and businessman.
• Bruce McLaren (1937-1970), a renowned New Zealand racing car designer and driver who founded the McLaren automotive company.

The surname McLaren has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as McLaren Vale, a wine region in South Australia named after David McLaren, an early Scottish settler in the area.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McLaren

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!