Given name & surname
McLain
“the son of John's servant”
McLain is a variant of Maclaine. One interpretation is “the son of John's servant.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
McLain is a variant of Maclaine. One interpretation is “the son of John's servant.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1982. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
McLain through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 250
- 231 boys · 19 girls
- Most popular year
- 2001
- 18 babies
- 2025
- 14
- #6,328 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +100%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 14 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 6,328 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 353 as a first name in 2020; 16,762 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
McLain’s family of names
McLain has a related form in Maclaine.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named McLain
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love McLain, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“a mighty warrior”
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“one who tames or subdues others”
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“one who is pleasant and agreeable”
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