McFarland Surname Meaning & Origin
What the McFarland last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the McFarland last name
Meaning of the McFarland last name: son of Parlan (Bartholomew). McFarland is an Ulster form of the Scottish surname MacFarlane, from Gaelic Mac Pharlain, "son of Parlan", a Gaelic form of Bartholomew. The clan lived around Loch Long and Loch Lomond, and families who moved to Ulster added a final d to the last name. A curious detail of this surname origin: the full moon was once called "MacFarlane's lantern" because the clan was said to raid cattle by its light.
Arms associated with the McFarland name
Coats of arms associated with the McFarland surname draw on Scottish heraldry, carried to Ulster by settlers, where each blazon belongs to one bearer at a time.
Get your full McFarland family history
This is only a glimpse of the McFarland story. The full McFarland 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 McFarland coat of arms. Get the full McFarland report.
McFarland name FAQ
What does the McFarland name mean?
Son of Parlan (Bartholomew). Common variants include MacFarlane, McFarlane, McFarlin.
Where does the McFarland surname come from?
It originates in Northern Ireland, and is also found in the United States, Scotland and Canada.
Is there a McFarland coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized McFarland coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).