# McClanahan (surname)

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

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 10,407 |
| US rank (2010) | 3,429 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 29,667 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.6% (10,047 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | Lanagan |

## Etymology

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic and Irish Mac Leanacháin (“son of Leanachán”), a personal name which ultimately derives from leann (“cloak, mantle”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named McClanahan 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) | 89% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 6.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 1.7% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named McClanahan in the United States.

## People named McClanahan

- Rue McClanahan, American actress and comedian (1934-2010)
- Rob McClanahan, American ice hockey player

## Similar surnames

McClain, McLean, McClendon, McLain, McClung, McClinton, McLane, McClean, McCluney, McClaine, McClam, McClane.

## 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.