Maclean
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- mak-LAYN
- Origin
- Scottish
Maclean is a boys' name of Scottish origin, meaning “son of Saint John's servant”. Too few babies were given it in the latest year to rank.
What does Maclean mean?
Scottish: Scottish clan name, from Gaelic Mac Gille Eathain
“son of Saint John's servant”
The Clan Maclean held Duart Castle on the Isle of Mull for centuries.
Is Maclean a girl's or a boy's name?
Maclean is a boys' name.
How popular is Maclean in the US?
No boys in the US were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1998, with 23 boys. It first appears in the records in 1987.
Half of all the boys named Maclean in the US since 1880 were born between 1997 and 2010, the years shaded on the chart below.
Maclean in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5 | #12,341 |
| 2023 | 9 | #8,250 |
| 2022 | 5 | #12,322 |
| 2021 | 6 | #10,794 |
| 2020 | 6 | #10,599 |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 8 | #8,813 |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 6 | #10,739 |
| 2015 | 7 | #9,562 |
| 2014 | 7 | #9,636 |
| 2013 | 7 | #9,650 |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 8 | #8,797 |
| 2009 | 6 | #10,989 |
| 2008 | 9 | #8,319 |
| 2007 | 7 | #9,782 |
| 2006 | 13 | #6,090 |
| 2005 | 10 | #7,089 |
| 2004 | 7 | #8,921 |
| 2003 | 13 | #5,551 |
| 2002 | 13 | #5,388 |
| 2001 | 11 | #6,006 |
| 2000 | 16 | #4,567 |
| 1999 | 13 | #5,029 |
| 1998 | 23 | #3,292 |
| 1997 | 19 | #3,596 |
| 1996 | 13 | #4,606 |
| 1995 | 7 | #6,985 |
| 1994 | 13 | #4,531 |
| 1993 | 7 | #6,809 |
| 1992 | 7 | #6,662 |
| 1991 | 5 | #8,228 |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 5 | #6,945 |
Nicknames for Maclean
- Mac 64 boys in the UK in 2025
Names like Maclean
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Brayden Aiden Kayden Brody Logan Keegan Declan Ronan Deacon Lachlan Kian Cannon
Names related to Maclean
Macklin Macallan Macklyn Maclin Maclan Macklen Macklan Maclain
More Scottish names
Isla Finley Arabella Cameron Bonnie Paisley Carson Maxwell Brodie Finlay Blair Lennox Skye Knox Dallas Lochlan
Sources
Figures from Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Maclean: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/maclean, updated 20 October 2026.