2000
#1,294
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,986
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.26
Uncommon Last name
Mcclellan
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place meaning "cape of the clans" in Gaelic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,971 Americans carry the last name Mcclellan. That puts it at #1,420 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,254 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcclellan 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 Mcclellan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,254
Census rank
#1,420
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,392 bearers of the surname Mcclellan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1420th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcclellan, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcclellan
The surname McClellan is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Gaelic 'Mac Gill Fhaolain' which translates to 'son of the servant or follower of St. Fillan'. St. Fillan was a Scottish abbot and saint who lived in the 8th century. The name is closely associated with the areas of Perthshire and Argyllshire in Scotland.
Early references to the name can be found in the 14th century, with records of Andrew McClellan witnessing a charter in 1363. The name is also mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1488, where a 'Patrick McGillefelane' is recorded.
The earliest known bearer of the name was Sir William McClellan, who was granted lands in Kirkcudbright, Scotland in the 15th century. His descendants went on to establish themselves as a prominent family in that region.
In the 16th century, the McClellans were involved in the famous feud between the Maxwells and the Johnstones, with both sides claiming ownership of certain lands. This feud was a significant event in the history of the Scottish Borders during that period.
One of the most notable figures with the McClellan surname was George B. McClellan (1826-1885), a prominent American Civil War general who commanded the Union Army of the Potomac. His cautious approach and reluctance to engage in decisive battles led to his eventual removal from command.
Other historically significant McClellan individuals include John McClellan (1815-1892), an American politician who served as a representative from Pennsylvania, and John L. McClellan (1896-1977), a U.S. Senator from Arkansas who chaired the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
In literature, the McClellan name appears in the works of Sir Walter Scott, who featured characters with the surname in his novels 'The Antiquary' and 'Old Mortality'.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcclellan
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcclellan, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcclellan 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 Mcclellan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.6% · 18,917
- Black or African American13.4% · 3,260
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,038
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 793
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 231
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 153
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcclellan
Mcclellan 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
#1,356
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,060
+1,074 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 8.83
Rank movement Down 62 places
2020
#1,420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,392
-1,668 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 8.16
Rank movement Down 64 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,294 | 24,986 | 9.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,356 | 26,060 | 8.83 | +1,074 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 62 places |
| 2020 | #1,420 | 24,392 | 8.16 | -1,668 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 64 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 Mcclellan 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 | #1,356 | #1,420 | -4.7% |
| Count | 26,060 | 24,392 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 8.83 | 8.16 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcclellan bearers went from 26,060 to 24,392 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 64 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,356 to #1,420.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcclellan
FAQ
Mcclellan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcclellan?
Name Census estimates that about 27,971 living Americans carry the surname Mcclellan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,254 residents.
How common is Mcclellan?
Mcclellan ranks #1,420 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,392 people with the surname Mcclellan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,971), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Mcclellan.
Has Mcclellan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcclellan went from 26,060 recorded bearers to 24,392. That is a decrease of 1,668 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,356 to #1,420.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcclellan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcclellan, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Mcclellan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.6% (18,917 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcclellan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.6%), Black (13.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Mcclellan (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 Mcclellan mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place meaning "cape of the clans" in Gaelic. 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 Mcclellan (8.16 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 common is the surname Mcclellan?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Mcclellan at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.