2000
#5,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,615
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.08
Rare Last name
Mclaren
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place meaning "the son of Laurence" in Gaelic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,691 Americans carry the last name Mclaren. That puts it at #5,720 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,226 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mclaren 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 Mclaren with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 51,226
Census rank
#5,720
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,835 bearers of the surname Mclaren in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5720th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mclaren, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mclaren
Among Census respondents with the surname Mclaren, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mclaren 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 Mclaren surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.4% · 4,694
- Black or African American11.2% · 653
- Two or more races3.7% · 213
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 212
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mclaren
Mclaren 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
#5,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,968
+353 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 2.02
Rank movement Down 129 places
2020
#5,720
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,835
-133 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.95
Rank movement Up 79 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,670 | 5,615 | 2.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,799 | 5,968 | 2.02 | +353 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 129 places |
| 2020 | #5,720 | 5,835 | 1.95 | -133 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 79 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 Mclaren 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 | #5,799 | #5,720 | 1.4% |
| Count | 5,968 | 5,835 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.02 | 1.95 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mclaren bearers went from 5,968 to 5,835 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 79 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,799 to #5,720.
FAQ
Mclaren surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mclaren?
Name Census estimates that about 6,691 living Americans carry the surname Mclaren. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,226 residents.
How common is Mclaren?
Mclaren ranks #5,720 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,835 people with the surname Mclaren. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,691), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mclaren.
Has Mclaren become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mclaren went from 5,968 recorded bearers to 5,835. That is a decrease of 133 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,799 to #5,720.
What does the Census say about the background of Mclaren?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mclaren, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Mclaren in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.4% (4,694 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mclaren appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.4%), Black (11.2%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Mclaren (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 Mclaren mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place meaning "the son of Laurence" in Gaelic. 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 Mclaren (1.95 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 Americans have the surname Mclaren?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.