NameCensus.

UK surname

Maclellan

A Scottish surname derived from MacGill' Fhaolain, meaning "son of the tonsured servant or devotee."

In the 1881 census there were 247 people recorded with the Maclellan surname, ranking it #11,173 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,111, ranked #5,290, up from #11,173 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Glenelg and South Uist. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Barra and South Uist, Whisky Isles and Benbecula and North Uist.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Maclellan is 1,111 in 2015. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 349.8%.

1881 census count

247

Ranked #11,173

Modern count

1,111

2016, ranked #5,290

Peak year

2015

1,111 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Maclellan had 247 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,173 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,111 in 2016, ranked #5,290.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 372 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Maclellan surname distribution map

The map shows where the Maclellan surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Maclellan surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Maclellan over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 275 #8,150
1861 historical 363 #7,045
1881 historical 247 #11,173
1891 historical 372 #9,386
1901 historical 293 #11,829
1911 historical 74 #25,423
1997 modern 908 #5,932
1998 modern 908 #6,116
1999 modern 911 #6,146
2000 modern 937 #5,999
2001 modern 904 #6,061
2002 modern 941 #5,977
2003 modern 971 #5,731
2004 modern 921 #5,974
2005 modern 927 #5,894
2006 modern 954 #5,777
2007 modern 975 #5,723
2008 modern 1,002 #5,644
2009 modern 1,017 #5,686
2010 modern 1,026 #5,758
2011 modern 1,014 #5,751
2012 modern 1,033 #5,588
2013 modern 1,090 #5,416
2014 modern 1,108 #5,364
2015 modern 1,111 #5,313
2016 modern 1,111 #5,290

Geography

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Where Maclellans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Glenelg, South Uist, Glasgow and Kilchoman and Portnahaven. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Barra and South Uist, Whisky Isles, Benbecula and North Uist, Lochaber West and Fort William North. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Glenelg Inverness
3 South Uist Inverness
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Kilchoman and Portnahaven Argyll

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Barra and South Uist Na h-Eileanan Siar
2 Whisky Isles Argyll and Bute
3 Benbecula and North Uist Na h-Eileanan Siar
4 Lochaber West Highland
5 Fort William North Highland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Maclellan

These lists show first names that appear often with the Maclellan surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Maclellan

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Maclellan, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Maclellan surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Maclellan household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Maclellan is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Maclellan is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Maclellan falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Maclellan is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Maclellan, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Maclellan

The surname MACLELLAN has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the early medieval period. It is a variant of the Gaelic name MacGille Fhaolain, which means "son of the servant of St. Fillan." St. Fillan was a 7th-century Irish missionary who traveled to Scotland and is revered as the patron saint of several Scottish parishes.

The MACLELLAN name is closely associated with the region of Kirkcudbrightshire in southwestern Scotland. It is believed that the earliest bearers of this surname were descendants of a chieftain who held lands in this area during the 12th century.

One of the earliest historical references to the MACLELLAN name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of written instruments by which many Scottish nobles and clergy were forced to swear allegiance to Edward I of England. The name appears in various spellings, including MacGillefaolan and MacLelhalan.

In the 14th century, a branch of the MACLELLANs settled in the parish of Balmaclellan, which is named after the family. The earliest recorded person with this surname was Sir Patrick MACLELLAN, who was granted lands in Galloway by Robert the Bruce in the early 1300s.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the MACLELLAN surname. One of the most prominent was Sir Robert MACLELLAN (c. 1570-1638), a Scottish soldier and politician who served as Lord of Session and Lord Privy Seal under King James VI and I.

Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas MACLELLAN (c. 1595-1661), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Privy Seal and Secretary of State for Scotland during the reign of Charles I.

In the 18th century, John MACLELLAN (1734-1786) was a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who settled in Virginia and played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War.

During the 19th century, Archibald MACLELLAN (1795-1856) was a Scottish-born Canadian merchant and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Council of Upper Canada.

Lastly, Elihu MACLELLAN (1840-1914) was a Canadian-born lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons and as Minister of Marine and Fisheries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Maclellan families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Maclellan surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Inverness-shire leads with 119 Maclellans recorded in 1881 and an index of 203.25x.

County Total Index
Inverness-shire 119 203.25x
Argyllshire 26 47.64x
Lanarkshire 18 2.84x
Lancashire 9 0.39x
Kent 8 1.20x
Kirkcudbrightshire 8 28.19x
Renfrewshire 4 2.63x
Clackmannanshire 3 18.53x
Ross-shire 2 3.71x
Cheshire 1 0.23x
Essex 1 0.26x
Middlesex 1 0.05x
Midlothian 1 0.38x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. North Uist in Inverness-shire leads with 65 Maclellans recorded in 1881 and an index of 2838.43x.

Place Total Index
North Uist 65 2838.43x
South Uist 50 1225.49x
Bowmore 12 952.38x
Barony 11 6.85x
Kelton 8 343.35x
Plumstead 8 35.87x
Govan 7 4.46x
Kilchoman 7 409.36x
Ardnamurchan 6 216.61x
Cathcart 4 48.66x
Toxteth Park 4 5.08x
Trumisgarry 4 677.97x
Blackburn 3 4.85x
Dollar 3 178.57x
Liverpool 2 1.42x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 0.95x
Hackney London 1 0.91x
Kilninian Kilmore 1 59.88x
Knockbain 1 79.37x
Lochbroom 1 35.59x
Werneth 1 73.53x
West Ham 1 1.17x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Maclellan surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Elizabeth 1
Fanny 1
Gertrude 1
Hellen 1
Jane 1
Jean 1
Mary 1
Rosamond 1
Wilhelmina 1
Winifrede 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Maclellan surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Malcolm 2
Coll 1
George 1
Henry 1
James 1
John 1
Kenneth 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Maclellan households.

FAQ

Maclellan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Maclellan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 247 people were recorded with the Maclellan surname. That placed it at #11,173 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Maclellan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,111 in 2016. That gives Maclellan a modern rank of #5,290.

What does the Maclellan surname mean?

A Scottish surname derived from MacGill' Fhaolain, meaning "son of the tonsured servant or devotee."

What does the Maclellan map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Maclellan bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.