MacFarlan Surname

615,220th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 501 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Scotland

MacFarlan Surname Definition:

Gaelic MacPharlain, 'son of Parian, ' from O. Irish Partholon (see Bartholomew). Malcolm Mcpharlane was one of the witnesses to a charter by Ywar Cambell of Strachur to Duncan, earl of Leuenax c. 1385 (HP., IV, p. 18), and in 1395 Duncan filius Malcolm Makfarlane had a charter from Duncan, earl of Levenax (Levenax, p.

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MacFarlan Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States3001:1,208,19685,916
Australia801:337,44628,659
England431:1,295,76958,667
Canada231:1,601,982107,690
Scotland221:243,35512,191
New Zealand171:266,37223,826
Philippines71:14,462,603238,248
Wales21:1,547,26639,871
Chile11:17,616,47493,597
Cuba11:11,522,71617,380
Germany11:80,505,459560,955
Guatemala11:16,082,66812,169
Hungary11:9,816,27773,288
Brazil11:214,074,3321,693,628
Ireland11:4,708,93929,543
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland101:442,98715,290
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States351:1,434,82077,606

MacFarlan Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

Gaelic MacPharlain, 'son of Parian, ' from O. Irish Partholon (see Bartholomew). Malcolm Mcpharlane was one of the witnesses to a charter by Ywar Cambell of Strachur to Duncan, earl of Leuenax c. 1385 (HP., IV, p. 18), and in 1395 Duncan filius Malcolm Makfarlane had a charter from Duncan, earl of Levenax (Levenax, p. 64). Andrew M'Farlane of Aracher was admitted burgess freeman of Glasgow gratis in 1577 (Burgesses). "The ancestor of the Macfarlanes of Kirkton was George Macfarlane of Markinch, second son to Andrew Macfarlane of that Ilk, in the reign of King James V. George having sold the foirsaid lands of Markinch went afterwards and settled in the north Highlands amongst his namesakes the Macfarlanes, promiscuously called in the Irish (i. e. Gaelic) language, M'Allans, Allanach, or Clan Allan-i. e. the posterity of Allan, because of their descent from Allan Macfarlane, younger son to one of the lairds of Macfarlane, who settled in Strathdonn, Aberdeenshire, several centuries ago. From him are descended the families of Auchorrachan, Balnengown, Lismurdie, &c., as also several others in Braemar and Strathspey" (Nimmo, History of Stirlingshire, 3. ed., 1880, p. 100). Robert Macfarlane (1815—1883), born in Rutherglen, was for seventeen years editor of the Scientific American. Makfarland and Makferlande 1546, M'Farlen 1603, Mcfarling 1668, M'Farling 1663, Makferlan 1529, McKfarlen 1728, McFerlane 1612, MacPharheline 1610.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(Celtic + Hebrew) Son of [Parlan or Partholan = Bartholomew, q.v. [Gaelic Mac Pharlain, genit. of Parlan]

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(Scottish) The son of Parlan or Partholon (sea waves).

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

(Clan Pharlan.) Descended from Gilchrist, a younger brother of Malduin, Earl of Lennox, whose great-grandson named Pharlan, the Gaelic for Bartholomew, surnamed the clan. Skene, ii. 155.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

The son of Pharlan. The family are descended from Gilchrist, brother of Maldowan, third Earl of Lennox.

The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames (1862) by Clifford Stanley Sims (1839-1896)

MacFarlan Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name MacFarlan Come From? nationality or country of origin

MacFarlan is found in The United States more than any other country or territory. It may appear in the variant forms:. For other potential spellings of this surname click here.

How Common Is The Last Name MacFarlan? popularity and diffusion

This surname is the 615,220th most widespread family name on earth. It is borne by approximately 1 in 14,546,000 people. It occurs mostly in The Americas, where 65 percent of MacFarlan are found; 64 percent are found in North America and 64 percent are found in Anglo-North America.

The surname MacFarlan is most prevalent in The United States, where it is held by 300 people, or 1 in 1,208,196. In The United States it is most prevalent in: Pennsylvania, where 15 percent live, Florida, where 14 percent live and Washington, where 10 percent live. Other than The United States this last name occurs in 14 countries. It is also common in Australia, where 16 percent live and England, where 9 percent live.

MacFarlan Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of MacFarlan has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people bearing the MacFarlan last name increased 857 percent between 1880 and 2014 and in Ireland it decreased 90 percent between 1901 and 2014.

MacFarlan Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those carrying the MacFarlan last name is predominantly Presbyterian (90%) in Ireland.

In The United States those bearing the MacFarlan surname are 24% more likely to be registered Republicans than the national average, with 70.77% registered to vote for the party.

The amount MacFarlan earn in different countries varies notably. In United States they earn 18.04% more than the national average, earning $50,934 USD per year and in Canada they earn 1.32% less than the national average, earning $49,026 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

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MacFarlan Reference & Research

MacFarlane FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.

MacFarlane FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to MacFarlan
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis