Show ContentsMcGlen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The spelling and overall form of Irish names tend to vary widely over time. The original Gaelic form of the name McGlen is Mag Flhloinn, which is derived from the word "flann," which means "ruddy."

Early Origins of the McGlen family

The surname McGlen was first found in county Athlone, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the McGlen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGlen research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1014 and 1172 are included under the topic Early McGlen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGlen Spelling Variations

Official documents, crafted by early scribes and church officials, primarily contained names that were spelled according to their pronunciation. This lead to the problem of one name being recorded under several different variations, creating an illusion that a single person was many people. Among the many spelling variations of the surname McGlen that are preserved in the archival documents of the time are MacGlynn, MacGlinn, McGlynn, McGlinn and others.

Early Notables of the McGlen family

More information is included under the topic Early McGlen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States McGlen migration to the United States +

In the 18th and 19th centuries hundreds of thousands of Irish people immigrated to North American shores. The early settlers were enticed by the promise of their own land, but they were moderately well off in Ireland when they decided to emigrate. Therefore, they were merely carrying out a long and carefully thought out decision. The 1840s saw the emergence of a very different trend: thousands of extremely desperate people crammed into passenger boats hoping to find any type of opportunity. The Irish of this decade had seen their homeland severely stricken by crop failures which resulted in widespread disease and starvation. At whatever time the Irish immigrants came to North America, they were instrumental in the rapid development of the emerging nations of the United States and what would become known as Canada. An exhaustive search of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many persons bearing the name McGlen, or one of its variants:

McGlen Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Joseph McGlen, aged 23, who landed in America from Leitrim, in 1900
  • J. McGlen, aged 21, who landed in America, in 1922
  • John McGlen, aged 41, who settled in America, in 1922
  • Patrick McGlen, aged 22, who immigrated to the United States, in 1923
  • Ivy Izabel McGlen, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States from Perth, Western Australia, in 1924

Contemporary Notables of the name McGlen (post 1700) +

  • Norman McGlen (1911-1976), English actor from Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, England, known for The Tomorrow People (1973), Moviemakers (1971) and The Charlie Chester Show (1949)
  • William "Billy" McGlen (1921-1999), English football half back, born in Bedlington


Houseofnames.com on Facebook