# Macleod (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/macleod/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Irish, A surname from Scottish Gaelic, A surname from Cree

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Irish |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 7,886 |
| US rank (2010) | 4,495 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 39,151 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.6% (7,542 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /məˈklaʊd/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Mcleod |

## Etymology

Anglicization of various Irish or Scottish Gaelic surnames. In Canada, the surname is also used as a common Anglicization of Cree ᒪᐦᑭᔪᐠ (mahkiyok, “the big one”) according to records of Scottish missionaries. * (town in Alberta): see entry for Fort Macleod.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Macleod in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 94% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 0.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 1.8% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Macleod in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

## People named Macleod

- Kevin MacLeod, American composer and music producer (born 1972)
- Gavin MacLeod, American actor (1931–2021)
- Kathleen MacLeod, Australian basketball player (born 1986)
- Henry Dunning Macleod, British economist (1821-1902)
- John MacLeod, American basketball coach (1937–2019)

## Similar surnames

McLeod, McLoud, McCloud, McGlothlin, McGoldrick, Musselwhite, McGlothin, McEldowney, McClatchey.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.