2000
#768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,871
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.15
Uncommon Last name
Mclean
A Scottish toponymic 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 47,633 Americans carry the last name Mclean. That puts it at #809 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,196 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mclean 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 Mclean with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
48K
1 in 7,196
Census rank
#809
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
42K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 41,538 bearers of the surname Mclean in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 809th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mclean, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.0%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mclean
The surname McLean has its origins in Scotland, with the earliest recorded examples appearing in the 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic "mac gille Fhaolain," meaning "son of the servant or follower of St. Fillan." St. Fillan was a Scottish abbot and missionary who lived in the 8th century.
The name is closely associated with the clan territory of Lochbuie on the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides. The McLeans of Lochbuie were a powerful branch of the clan and held significant lands in the region. Alternative spellings of the name in early records include MacLean, MacClean, and MacLyne.
One of the earliest notable figures with the name was Sir Lachlan Mor McLean, the 5th Chief of the McLean clan, who lived from around 1390 to 1472. He played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence and was a loyal supporter of the Stewart kings.
Another historical figure was Sir John McLean, a Scottish soldier and diplomat who served as the British ambassador to France in the early 18th century. He was born in 1670 and died in 1714.
In the realm of literature, Lachlan McLean was a Scottish poet and songwriter who lived from 1776 to 1848. He is particularly known for his Gaelic language compositions and his work in preserving Scottish folk traditions.
One of the most famous McLeans was Allan McLean, a Scottish explorer and fur trader who played a significant role in the exploration and settlement of western Canada in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was born in 1768 and died in 1847.
The name McLean also appears in the Domesday Book, a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name may have had an earlier presence in Britain before its association with the Scottish clan.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mclean
Among Census respondents with the surname Mclean, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.0%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mclean 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 Mclean surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.0% · 26,600
- Black or African American26.7% · 11,099
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,745
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 1,531
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 329
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 234
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mclean
Mclean 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
#801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 43,260
+2,389 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 14.67
Rank movement Down 33 places
2020
#809
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,538
-1,722 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 13.90
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #768 | 40,871 | 15.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #801 | 43,260 | 14.67 | +2,389 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 33 places |
| 2020 | #809 | 41,538 | 13.90 | -1,722 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 8 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 Mclean 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 | #801 | #809 | -1.0% |
| Count | 43,260 | 41,538 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 14.67 | 13.90 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mclean bearers went from 43,260 to 41,538 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #801 to #809.
FAQ
Mclean surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mclean?
Name Census estimates that about 47,633 living Americans carry the surname Mclean. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,196 residents.
How common is Mclean?
Mclean ranks #809 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 41,538 people with the surname Mclean. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (47,633), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Mclean.
Has Mclean become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mclean went from 43,260 recorded bearers to 41,538. That is a decrease of 1,722 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #801 to #809.
What does the Census say about the background of Mclean?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mclean, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.0%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Mclean in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.0% (26,600 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mclean appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.0%), Black (26.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Mclean (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 Mclean mean?
A Scottish toponymic 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 Mclean (13.90 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 Mclean?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.