(Ayrshire). Gaelic Mac Gille Eoin, earlier Mac Ghill' Eathain, 'son of the servant of (S.) John.' in the Gaelic genealogical ms. of 1467 the name is spelled Gilleain, and in the M'Vurich ms. Giolla-eoin (Rel. Celt., II, p. 174). Eoin is the classic form of John in Gaelic, but Iain is now more commonly used. The l is all that remains of gille. The derivation of the name (Legends, p. 306) from Leth-aoin 'twin,' in allusion to the double origin of the clan, and the translation of the name by Lachlan Maclean (author of Adhamh agus Eubh, Edinburgh, 1837), as 'son of a lion,' are instances of 'the Gaelic itch for etymologising.' Collectively the clan is Clann 'ic 'ill Eathain. Gilmore Maclyn of the county of Perth rendered homage, 1296. The seal attached to his homage bears a stag's head cabossed, S' Gilmore Macgylecho (Bain, II, p. 200,532). In 1326 there is entry of a payment of eight codri of cheese to eight men of John and Neil, sons of Gilhon, and mention is also made of the ship of Dofnald M'Gilhon (misrinted M'Gilbon) which made the circuit of 'le Mole' (Mull) (ER., I, p. 57). In the preface to ER. (I, p. lxxiii) mention is made of Dofnald, Neil, and John, the three sons of Gilhon -the youngest of them the ancestor of the Macleans of Duart. Nigel M'Gillon, custodian of the Castle of Scraburgh, 1329 (ER., I, p. 238). Lachlan M'Gilleon was dominus de Duvayrd, 1436 (Cawdor, p. 13), and John M'Gilleoin, dominus de Lochbuye, witnessed a charter by Angus, Master of the Isles, 1485. Lauchlan M'Leand was fiar of Torloisk, 1674 (HP., I). Walter Malynne (=Maclean), abbot of Glenluce, 1517-45 (Rusk, History of parish and abbey of Glenluce, Edinburgh, 1930, p. 140). In Tiree this surname outnumbers all others in the island. An old spelling in Perthshire was M'Olaine. John M'lnlay Roy V'Oleane in Kirktoun, a Glenurquhay vassal, 1638 (BBT., p. 403). Donald M'Olloine in Sunniboil, Mull, 1674 (HP., I, p. 279). Alexander McKlane, resident in parish of Borgue, 1684 (RPC., 3. ser. IX, p. 568), and William M'KIin is recorded in Mains, Sanquhar, 1697. Macleans are numerous in Prussia, where some call themselves 'of Coll' (Fischer, II, p. 151), and John Maclean, son of the laird of Dowart, who made a large fortune in Sweden and greatly aided in the building of the city of Gothenburg, was ennobled by Queen Christina in 1649 under the name of Makeleen (SHR., XXV, p. 290). John Maclean (1787-1848), the Tiree bard, spells his name MacIlleain in the 1818 edition of his Poems, and in the Antigonish edition of 1856 it appears as MacGilleathain. Mackcline, MackCleiden, Mackelein, Macglen and Makclen 1588; Macklayne, Maklayne, and Makelyne 1536; Macklen 1680; Macgillane 1527; Macgillelane 1500; M'Claine and M'Clean 1674; M'Clane 1514; M'Clayne 1603; M'Cleane 1615; Maclein 1586; M'GilLayne 1549; M'Gilleon 1522, M'Gilleoun 1548, M'Killeane 1603, Maclane 1545, M'Gilleoin 1449; M'Gilleone 1475; Mcgilleoune 1539; M'Gillichean 1656; Mcllaine and Mc illaine 1595; Mc illayn 1516; Mc illon 1603; Makclayne 1573; Makclean 1657; Makcleane 1615; Makgilleon 1390; Makgilleone 1496; Makclane, M'Clan, Mclen and Mc Lene 1662; Macklan, Maklane, and M'Klane all 1591; M'Leane 1662; Mcoleane 1561; (undated) Makclane, Makgillane, Makgilleoin, Makgilleon, Makgilleoun. The following additional spellings are all recorded in the Book of Islay Macklain, M'Gleane, M'lllclayne, M'Len, Macklane, M'Gillyane, Makllane, M'Klayne, M'Layne, and M'Gilloyne. Andrew McLean (1848-1922), born in Dumbartonshire, was founder and editor of the Brooklyn Citizen, Brooklyn, New York; and John McLane (1852-1911), governor of New Hampshire (1905-1906) and host at the Russo-Japanese conference at Portsmouth, August, 1905, was born in Lennoxtown, Stirlingshire.

This is a Scottish name which has become very numerous in Ireland. Of the 106 Irish births recorded in 1890 (mostly in Ulster) 54 were spelt MacClean and 43 MacLean, the remaining 9 being MacAlean, MacClane etc. In Scotland it is the name of the clan Maclean. Their connexion with Ireland, which began with their employment by the MacDonnells as mercenary soldiers, dates from the fifteenth century.

Flower in his catalogue of Irish manuscripts in the British Museum mentions Eoghan Macgilleoin (Ewan MacLean) as a Scottish scribe writing Irish in Argyllshire in 1698. In Ireland it is Mac giolla Eáin or Mac giolla Eoin. The fashionable London highwayman James MacLaine (1724-1750), who was executed after robbing Horace Walpole, was a Co. Monaghan man.

Mac Giolla Eáin A galloglass family of Scottish origin, numerous in Antrim and Derry. SIF 34

(Celtic + Hebrew) Son of the Servant of John

“Son of the Servant of John” (Mac Gill Eatain) in Gaelic.

(Scottish) The son of the servant of St. John (gracious gift of God).

Originally Macgillean. From a celebrated Highland warrior, Gillean-in-Tuiodh, or Gillean of the Battleaxe. B.L.G. Gaelic etymologists say, Mac-a-ghille-leathan-"the son of the Broad Lad !"

The son of Gillean. The family are descended from Gillian-ni-Tuiodth, who fought in the battle of Largs.

Gelling is probably from Giolla-Guillin, 'Guillin's Servant'. O'Reilly says that Guillin is identical with Cualan, the tutelar deity of blacksmiths, 'Mag-GelAiN, Bishop of Kildare', a.d. 1222.

The surname MacLean is of Scottish origin and means ‘son of the devotee of (Saint) John’. The intrusive ‘-L’ in the middle of the name is all that remains of the Scots Gaelic word ‘gillie’, which means ‘servant, lad or follower’. This we see more clearly in the Scots Gaelic version of McLean, which is Mac Gille Eoin. Eoin is the main Gaelic version of John, and is now more usually found as Iain, a highly popular Scots first name. The original first name John comes from the Hebrew Jochanaan, which means ‘God is gracious’. (For further details of history and origin of the first name John, see entry for Johnson.

The origins of the Clan McLean are clouded in spurious legends. However, it seems almost certain that the clan had two separate origins. The collective clan is known today in Gaelic as Clann ’ic ’ill Eathain.

The earliest mention of this name comes at the end of the thirteenth century, when one Gilmore Maclyn is listed as having paid homage to the King in 1296. As is usual in names translated from the Gaelic, there is a large variety of different spellings to be found in the records. These range from MacGillane (1526) to M’Gillean (1436) and M’lllclyane (sixteenth century). Most of these variations have now died out or have reverted to the standard McLean or MacLean. However, the version McLane is well known in America.

By a curious oddity, the name MacLean is also found frequently in Prussia. These MacLeans refer to themselves as the ‘MacLeans of Coll’ and are almost certainly of mercenary origin, though a persistent local legend has it that these MacLeans helped John MacLean, son of the laird of Dowant, to build the Swedish city of Gothenberg in the mid-seventeenth century. (In so doing, the canny Scot also accumulated a fortune, and was enrolled by Queen Christina of Sweden in 1649.) The last surviving participant in the Charge of the Light Brigade was Sir Fitzroy Donald Maclean (1835—1931). He also achieved the distinction of being the longest-lived baronet on record.

Britain’s two most celebrated post-war spies were Guy Burgess (1911—63) and Donald Maclean (b.1913). After being tipped off by master spy Kim Philby that their cover had been blown, the pair fled to Russia, where Maclean still lives.

One of the most consistent best-selling authors of all time is the Scottish-born adventure writer Alistair MacLean (b.1922). Between 1955 and 1978 he averaged a book a year. No fewer than 17 of them sold over a million copies. Twelve were made into action-packed films, including The Guns of Navarone (1961) and Where Eagles Dare (1969).

It is a little-known fact that the American Civil War both began and ended in the same room: the front parlour of Major Wilmer McLean’s house in Virginia. After the peace treaty was signed, souvenir-hunters stripped the house of all its furniture. A speculator later bought the house and dismantled it brick by brick, with the idea of re-erecting it in Washington as a tourist attraction. Unfortunately, he went bankrupt in the process, and the dismantled house has never been reassembled.

There are no towns, cities or major geographic features related to this name in the United Kingdom. Canada has one town named McClean, the United States has 4 (including McLean, Virginia, home of the CIA) and a McLeansboro. Australia has a MacLean and South Africa a MacLeantown. The only major geographic feature is Canada’s McLean Lake.

With about 23,000 namesakes MacLean and McLean form Scotland’s 19th most popular surname. Thus about one out of every 225 Scots is so named. (The name is not common enough throughout England and Wales to be counted separately.) This surname is notably popular in and around Glasgow where an estimated one in about 190 families bears the name, and in Edinburgh where the figure is about one in 335. Around the world MacLeans and McLeans are most common in Vancouver (one in 672 families), Ottawa (one in 836), Toronto (one in 917) and Wellington (one in 949). The United States has 43,000 McLeans which makes this variation of the name the 702nd most popular surname. They do not record MacLeans since there are fewer than 10,000 in the population.

The surname MacLean is of Scottish origin and means ‘son of the devotee of (Saint) John’. The intrusive ‘-L’ in the middle of the name is all that remains of the Scots Gaelic word ‘gillie’, which means ‘servant, lad or follower’. This we see more clearly in the Scots Gaelic version of McLean, which is Mac Gille Eoin. Eoin is the main Gaelic version of John, and is now more usually found as Iain, a highly popular Scots first name. The original first name John comes from the Hebrew Jochanaan, which means ‘God is gracious’. (For further details of history and origin of the first name John, see entry for Johnson.

The origins of the Clan McLean are clouded in spurious legends. However, it seems almost certain that the clan had two separate origins. The collective clan is known today in Gaelic as Clann ’ic ’ill Eathain.

The earliest mention of this name comes at the end of the thirteenth century, when one Gilmore Maclyn is listed as having paid homage to the King in 1296. As is usual in names translated from the Gaelic, there is a large variety of different spellings to be found in the records. These range from MacGillane (1526) to M’Gillean (1436) and M’lllclyane (sixteenth century). Most of these variations have now died out or have reverted to the standard McLean or MacLean. However, the version McLane is well known in America.

By a curious oddity, the name MacLean is also found frequently in Prussia. These MacLeans refer to themselves as the ‘MacLeans of Coll’ and are almost certainly of mercenary origin, though a persistent local legend has it that these MacLeans helped John MacLean, son of the laird of Dowant, to build the Swedish city of Gothenberg in the mid-seventeenth century. (In so doing, the canny Scot also accumulated a fortune, and was enrolled by Queen Christina of Sweden in 1649.) The last surviving participant in the Charge of the Light Brigade was Sir Fitzroy Donald Maclean (1835—1931). He also achieved the distinction of being the longest-lived baronet on record.

Britain’s two most celebrated post-war spies were Guy Burgess (1911—63) and Donald Maclean (b.1913). After being tipped off by master spy Kim Philby that their cover had been blown, the pair fled to Russia, where Maclean still lives.

One of the most consistent best-selling authors of all time is the Scottish-born adventure writer Alistair MacLean (b.1922). Between 1955 and 1978 he averaged a book a year. No fewer than 17 of them sold over a million copies. Twelve were made into action-packed films, including The Guns of Navarone (1961) and Where Eagles Dare (1969).

It is a little-known fact that the American Civil War both began and ended in the same room: the front parlour of Major Wilmer McLean’s house in Virginia. After the peace treaty was signed, souvenir-hunters stripped the house of all its furniture. A speculator later bought the house and dismantled it brick by brick, with the idea of re-erecting it in Washington as a tourist attraction. Unfortunately, he went bankrupt in the process, and the dismantled house has never been reassembled.

There are no towns, cities or major geographic features related to this name in the United Kingdom. Canada has one town named McClean, the United States has 4 (including McLean, Virginia, home of the CIA) and a McLeansboro. Australia has a MacLean and South Africa a MacLeantown. The only major geographic feature is Canada’s McLean Lake.

With about 23,000 namesakes MacLean and McLean form Scotland’s 19th most popular surname. Thus about one out of every 225 Scots is so named. (The name is not common enough throughout England and Wales to be counted separately.) This surname is notably popular in and around Glasgow where an estimated one in about 190 families bears the name, and in Edinburgh where the figure is about one in 335. Around the world MacLeans and McLeans are most common in Vancouver (one in 672 families), Ottawa (one in 836), Toronto (one in 917) and Wellington (one in 949). The United States has 43,000 McLeans which makes this variation of the name the 702nd most popular surname. They do not record MacLeans since there are fewer than 10,000 in the population.