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

McLellan, 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 McLellan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McLellan in America

McLellan is the 5505th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McLellan surname appeared 6,318 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 McLellan.

We can also compare 2010 data for McLellan 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 McLellan

The surname McLellan is a Scottish name that originated in the areas of Renfrewshire and Ayrshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is a variant of the name MacLellan, which derives from the Scottish Gaelic name "MacGill'Fhaolain" meaning "son of the servant of St. Fillan".

St. Fillan was an Irish missionary who lived in the 8th century and established several churches in the region. The McLellan name is thought to have originated with a follower or disciple of St. Fillan who served at one of the churches he founded.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a record of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One entry lists a "Gillmichael M'Lolane" who was likely an ancestor of the McLellan family.

In the 14th century, a branch of the McLellans settled in the area of Kirkcudbright in Galloway, where they became a prominent family. Sir Robert McLellan of Bombie, who lived from 1390 to 1452, was a notable figure during the reign of King James II of Scotland.

Another notable individual was Sir William McLellan, who was born in 1600 and served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1657 to 1659. He played a significant role in the city's defense during the English Civil War.

In the 18th century, John McLellan (1734-1823) was a Scottish writer and antiquarian who published works on the history and antiquities of Galloway.

William McLellan (1832-1903) was a Scottish-born architect who emigrated to Australia and designed several notable buildings in Melbourne, including the Melbourne Town Hall and the Scots' Church.

Mary McLellan (1858-1940) was a Scottish suffragist and activist who campaigned for women's rights and worked to improve the lives of working-class women and children in Glasgow.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McLellan

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

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

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

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