About the McLelland Surname

Seen on a gravestone or a census line, McLelland usually leads back to McClellan. In origin, the name means “Son of St Fillan's servant”. Before spelling was fixed, McClellan was also written McLelland. Before spelling was standardised, one family could appear under several forms. Other spellings include McClelland, McLellan and MacClelland.

The Census Bureau's 2010 surname file lists McLelland with 1,682 bearers, at rank 16,919.

A coat of arms belongs to a particular family line rather than to everyone named McLelland, so the heraldry linked to McClellan is a starting point, not an automatic right. Want more than a summary? See the McLelland family name pack.