Given name & surname · also Gaelic
McLean
“the son of John's servant”
McLean is a variant of Maclaine. One interpretation is “the son of John's servant.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
McLean is a variant of Maclaine. One interpretation is “the son of John's servant.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
McLean comes from Scottish Gaelic, and ultimately from Irish.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1923. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
McLean through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 369
- 348 boys · 21 girls
- Most popular year
- 1998
- 17 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +100%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 8 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 16 in 1996. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 460 as a first name in 2020; 41,538 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.
McLean’s family of names
McLean has a related form in Maclaine. In English usage, McLean as a surname has a related form in Maclean. In English usage, McLean as a surname has a related form in McLane.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love McLean, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Colgan
“descendant of Colgán”
>99% boys
Brosnan
“descendant of Brosnachán”
>99% boys
Mckeon
McKeon is a surname from Irish.
>99% boys
Mcquade
“son of Uad”
>99% boys
Kieron
“having dark features; the little dark one”
>99% boys
Drennen
“descendant of Draighneán”
>99% boys
Conlon
“a hero”
>99% boys
McCauley
“the son of righteousness”
>99% boys