# McLean (surname)

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

A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic, an anglicization of Mac Gille Eòin (“son of the servant of John”).

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Scottish Gaelic |
| Type | occupational, named after the work an ancestor did |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 43,260 |
| US rank (2010) | 801 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 7,137 people |
| Change since 2000 | +5.8% (40,871 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /məˈkleɪn/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Maclean, Maclaine |

## Who carries it

Share of people named McLean 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) | 67% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 27% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.6% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.1% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named McLean in the United States, Australia and Austria.

## People named McLean

- Don McLean, American singer-songwriter
- A. J. McLean, American pop singer
- Malcom McLean, American businessman (1913-2001)
- John McLean, American athlete and coach (1878-1955)
- Jackie McLean, American jazz saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator (1931–2006)
- Willie McLean, American soccer player
- John McLean, American jurist and politician (1785-1861)
- Barbara McLean, American film editor (1903-1996)
- Greg McLean, Australian film director
- Jamel McLean, American basketball player (born 1988)
- Matt McLean, American swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, world champion
- David McLean, American film and television actor (1922-1995)

and 5 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

McLain, Maclean, McLane, McLin, McAloon, McClain, McClendon, McLemore, McClanahan, McLendon, McElhaney, McClean.

## 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.