ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1987 First Year 2024 Last Year 1998 Peak Year #3296 Peak Rank 291 Total Count 31 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Maclean What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. MacLean, also spelt McLean, is a Scottish Gaelic surname, Eóin being a Gaelic form of Johannes (John). The clan surname is an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic "Mac Gille Eathain", a patronymic meaning "son of Gillean". Gillean means "the Servant of \[Saint\] John \[the Baptist\]"), named for Gilleathain na Tuaidh, known as "Gillian of the Battleaxe", a famous 5th century warrior. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLean) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLean) [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Maclean](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/Clan_member_crest_badge_-_Clan_Maclean.svg/330px-Clan_member_crest_badge_-_Clan_Maclean.svg.png)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLean) 📖 ## The Story of Maclean The earliest SSA record of Maclean as a baby boy name dates back to 1987, when 5 babies received it. 1998 was its biggest year on record, with 23 newborns named Maclean — #3,296 in the national rankings. About 37% of every Maclean on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. Maclean last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 291 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Maclean Phonetically similar names — useful when Maclean is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Mclean](/mclean) * [Mcclain](/mcclain) * [Mclain](/mclain) * [Mcclane](/mcclane) * [Mclane](/mclane) * [Maclaine](/maclaine) * Mcclaine * Mcclean * Mclin * Mechlin * [Mccain](/mccain) * [Maclin](/maclin) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Maclean What does the name Maclean mean? MacLean, also spelt McLean, is a Scottish Gaelic surname, Eóin being a Gaelic form of Johannes (John). The clan surname is an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic "Mac Gille Eathain", a patronymic meaning "son of Gillean". Gillean means "the Servant of \[Saint\] John \[the Baptist\]"), named for Gilleathain na Tuaidh, known as "Gillian of the Battleaxe", a famous 5th century warrior. How popular is Maclean in 2026? In 2026, Maclean ranks #12,301 among boys' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year. When was Maclean most popular? Maclean reached its peak popularity in 1998, ranking #3,296 that year with 23 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Maclean most popular? Maclean has historically been most popular in California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Maclean. Is Maclean a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Maclean is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name. What names go well with Maclean? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Maclean include Chaney, Nickolus, Zakhi. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names [👦ChaneyPeak #3296](/chaney)[👦NickolusPeak #3296](/nickolus)[👦ZakhiPeak #3296](/zakhi)[👦KavishPeak #3296](/kavish)[👦JesePeak #3297](/jese)[👦AdonijahPeak #3297](/adonijah)[👦HamadPeak #3297](/hamad)[👦PittmanPeak #3298](/pittman) ## About the name Maclean Maclean is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1987 and has accumulated 291 births in the dataset. Maclean's peak popularity came in 1998 when it ranked #3,296\. Use the chart and map above to compare Maclean's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1998 → ](/year/1998) * [ Names of the 1990s → ](/decade/1990s) * [ Names starting with "M" → ](/letter/m) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.