2000
#5,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.27
Rare Last name
Mclellan
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "a church by the pool."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,026 Americans carry the last name Mclellan. That puts it at #5,479 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,784 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mclellan 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 Mclellan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.0K
1 in 48,784
Census rank
#5,479
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,127 bearers of the surname Mclellan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5479th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mclellan, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mclellan
Among Census respondents with the surname Mclellan, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mclellan 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 Mclellan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 5,100
- Black or African American6.1% · 375
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 289
- Two or more races4.3% · 265
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mclellan
Mclellan 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
#5,505
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,318
+196 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 2.14
Rank movement Down 268 places
2020
#5,479
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,127
-191 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 2.05
Rank movement Up 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,237 | 6,122 | 2.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,505 | 6,318 | 2.14 | +196 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 268 places |
| 2020 | #5,479 | 6,127 | 2.05 | -191 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 26 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 Mclellan 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 | #5,505 | #5,479 | 0.5% |
| Count | 6,318 | 6,127 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.14 | 2.05 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mclellan bearers went from 6,318 to 6,127 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,505 to #5,479.
FAQ
Mclellan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mclellan?
Name Census estimates that about 7,026 living Americans carry the surname Mclellan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,784 residents.
How common is Mclellan?
Mclellan ranks #5,479 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.05 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 6,127 people with the surname Mclellan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,026), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.05 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 Mclellan.
Has Mclellan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mclellan went from 6,318 recorded bearers to 6,127. That is a decrease of 191 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,505 to #5,479.
What does the Census say about the background of Mclellan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mclellan, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Mclellan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (5,100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mclellan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Black (6.1%), Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Mclellan (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 Mclellan mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "a church by the pool." 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 Mclellan (2.05 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 have the surname Mclellan?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.