McClellan Surname Meaning & Origin
What the McClellan last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the McClellan last name
Meaning of the McClellan last name: son of St Fillan's servant. McClellan is a Scottish surname from Gaelic Mac Gille Fhaoláin, "son of the servant of St Fillan", an early Scottish saint. The last name belongs especially to Galloway and spread to Ulster. Curiously, George McClellan, a Union general, ran against Abraham Lincoln in the 1864 presidential election.
Arms associated with the McClellan name
In Scottish heraldry, coats of arms associated with the McClellan name are personal, each with its own blazon.
Get your full McClellan family history
This is only a glimpse of the McClellan story. The full McClellan history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted McClellan coat of arms. Get the full McClellan report.
McClellan name FAQ
What does the McClellan name mean?
Son of St Fillan's servant. Common variants include McLellan, MacClelland.
Where does the McClellan surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in Northern Ireland, the United States and Canada.
Is there a McClellan coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized McClellan coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).