2000
#6,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,437
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.64
Rare Last name
Macfarlane
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "MacPharlain," meaning "son of Parlan" or "son of Bartholomew."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,344 Americans carry the last name Macfarlane. That puts it at #6,950 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,138 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Macfarlane 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 Macfarlane with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,138
Census rank
#6,950
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,660 bearers of the surname Macfarlane in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6950th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Macfarlane, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Macfarlane
The surname MacFarlane has its origins in the western Scottish Highlands, particularly around the region of Argyll and the Inner Hebrides islands. It is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Gaelic "mac" meaning "son of" and the personal name "Parlan" or "Parlan-og" meaning "little Parlan".
The name first appears in historical records around the 13th century, with the earliest known reference being to a Gilchrist MacParlane in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document recording those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The MacFarlanes were a powerful clan in the Arrochar area of Argyll, with their seat at the castle of Inveruglas on Loch Lomond.
In the 16th century, the MacFarlanes were involved in the infamous feud with the Colquhouns of Luss, a long-running dispute over land and power in the region. This feud is referenced in the traditional Scottish ballad "The Lads of Inveruglas", which tells of a battle between the two clans in 1592.
One of the most notable figures in MacFarlane history is Walter MacFarlane of Arrochar (c.1580-c.1660), a respected scholar and antiquarian who produced the "Geographical Collections" – a valuable record of Scottish place names and their origins. Another prominent MacFarlane was Duncan MacFarlane (1770-1857), a Scottish explorer and fur trader who was instrumental in the early exploration of the Canadian Northwest.
Other notable individuals with the surname include John MacFarlane (1857-1944), a Scottish-born Australian politician and Premier of Queensland from 1925 to 1929, and Norman MacFarlane (1923-2019), a British actor best known for his roles in films such as "Ghandi" and "The Elephant Man".
The MacFarlane name has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Inverioch in Dunbartonshire, which was formerly known as "Innerlugnoch" or "Inverlugnoch" – meaning "the mouth of the loch of the MacFarlanes".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Macfarlane
Among Census respondents with the surname Macfarlane, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Macfarlane 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 Macfarlane surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 4,178
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 178
- Two or more races3.2% · 151
- Black or African American1.9% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Macfarlane
Macfarlane 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
#7,243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,605
+168 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 277 places
2020
#6,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,660
+55 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Up 293 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,966 | 4,437 | 1.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,243 | 4,605 | 1.56 | +168 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 277 places |
| 2020 | #6,950 | 4,660 | 1.56 | +55 bearers (+1.2%) | Up 293 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 Macfarlane 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 | #7,243 | #6,950 | 4.0% |
| Count | 4,605 | 4,660 | 1.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.56 | 1.56 | -0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Macfarlane bearers went from 4,605 to 4,660 (+1.2% change). The surname moved up 293 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,243 to #6,950.
FAQ
Macfarlane surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Macfarlane?
Name Census estimates that about 5,344 living Americans carry the surname Macfarlane. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,138 residents.
How common is Macfarlane?
Macfarlane ranks #6,950 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.56 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 4,660 people with the surname Macfarlane. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,344), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.56 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 Macfarlane.
Has Macfarlane become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Macfarlane went from 4,605 recorded bearers to 4,660. That is an increase of 55 (+1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,243 to #6,950.
What does the Census say about the background of Macfarlane?
Among Census respondents with the surname Macfarlane, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Macfarlane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (4,178 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Macfarlane appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Macfarlane (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 Macfarlane mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "MacPharlain," meaning "son of Parlan" or "son of Bartholomew." 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 Macfarlane (1.56 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 Macfarlane?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.