McClellan
A Scottish and Irish surname usually understood as “son of Gille Fhaolain” or “son of the servant of St. Fillan,” though older sources sometimes gave other Gaelic explanations.
The #1,356 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 11,847 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally treated as a Gaelic patronymic, with the Mc/Mac prefix meaning “son of.” The second element is commonly connected to a personal name or byname such as Gille Fhaolain, often interpreted in older scholarship as “servant of Fillan” or related to St. Fillan. Nineteenth-century writers also offered other Gaelic explanations, but these are less secure and sometimes reflect older, speculative scholarship.
History
The name is found in Scotland and later in Ireland, especially in families of Scottish origin who settled there. Variants and related forms were often grouped together in older surname dictionaries, which can make the historical picture a little messy. In the United States, McClellan is a long-established surname and remains the standard spelling.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books sometimes connected McClellan with different Gaelic phrases, showing how unstable Celtic surname etymologies could be in early scholarship.
From the historical record
“in Ireland as Mac Causlands. See B.L.G. MACCLELLAN. Gael. Mac-a-ghille- dhiolan (pron. Mac-il-iolan.) " TheTson of the Bastard." MAC CLINTOCK. The M.'s, originally of Scotland, have been settled in Ireland from temp. Elizabeth. B.L.G. MAC CLOUD. A corruption of Mac- leod. MAC CONKEY.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom