2000
#4,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.64
Rare Last name
Maclean
Son of the lean or thin one, often referring to a clan from the Scottish Highlands.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,214 Americans carry the last name Maclean. That puts it at #4,787 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,728 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maclean 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 Maclean with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.2K
1 in 41,728
Census rank
#4,787
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,163 bearers of the surname Maclean in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4787th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maclean, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maclean
The surname MACLEAN has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the 13th century. It is a Highland Scottish clan name derived from the Gaelic "MacGhillEain," meaning "son of the servant of St. John." The name is closely associated with the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides, where the clan's ancestral lands were located.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where Gillelan MacNaughtan is mentioned as a landowner in Argyll. This document was a record of Scottish landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
In the 14th century, the MACLEAN clan played a significant role in the struggle for Scottish independence under the leadership of Lachlan Mor MACLEAN, who fought alongside Robert the Bruce. Lachlan Mor is regarded as the progenitor of the modern MACLEAN clan, and his descendants continued to wield considerable influence in the region for centuries.
The name has undergone various spelling variations over time, including MACLAINE, MACCLEAN, and MACLAIN. These variations are often associated with different branches of the clan or geographical locations.
Notable historical figures with the surname MACLEAN include:
1. Alasdair MACLEAN (1568-1647), a Scottish poet and clan chief known for his contributions to Gaelic literature.
2. Sir John MACLEAN (1759-1840), a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
3. Norman MACLEAN (1902-1990), an American author and scholar best known for his semi-autobiographical novella "A River Runs Through It."
4. Fitzroy MACLEAN (1911-1996), a British diplomat, adventurer, and soldier who played a significant role in World War II.
5. Alistair MACLEAN (1922-1987), a renowned British novelist who wrote popular adventure and war fiction, including "The Guns of Navarone" and "Where Eagles Dare."
The MACLEAN surname has a rich history deeply rooted in Scottish Highland culture and has been carried by numerous influential figures throughout the centuries, from clan chiefs and warriors to poets, authors, and military leaders.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maclean
Among Census respondents with the surname Maclean, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Maclean 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 Maclean surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 6,411
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 327
- Two or more races3.6% · 261
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 76
- Black or African American0.9% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maclean
Maclean 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
#4,726
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,504
+377 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.54
Rank movement Down 160 places
2020
#4,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,163
-341 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.40
Rank movement Down 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,566 | 7,127 | 2.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,726 | 7,504 | 2.54 | +377 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 160 places |
| 2020 | #4,787 | 7,163 | 2.40 | -341 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 61 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 Maclean 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 | #4,726 | #4,787 | -1.3% |
| Count | 7,504 | 7,163 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.54 | 2.40 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maclean bearers went from 7,504 to 7,163 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,726 to #4,787.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Maclean
FAQ
Maclean surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maclean?
Name Census estimates that about 8,214 living Americans carry the surname Maclean. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,728 residents.
How common is Maclean?
Maclean ranks #4,787 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.40 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 7,163 people with the surname Maclean. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,214), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.40 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 Maclean.
Has Maclean become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maclean went from 7,504 recorded bearers to 7,163. That is a decrease of 341 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,726 to #4,787.
What does the Census say about the background of Maclean?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maclean, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Maclean in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (6,411 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maclean appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Maclean (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 Maclean mean?
Son of the lean or thin one, often referring to a clan from the Scottish Highlands. 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 Maclean (2.40 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 last name Maclean?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Maclean, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.