Show ContentsMcLinden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Irish surnames have had their original forms altered in many ways. Before being translated into English, McLinden appeared as Mac Giolla Fhiondain, which refers to a descendant of a devotee of St. Fintan.

Early Origins of the McLinden family

The surname McLinden was first found in counties Armagh and Down (Irish:An Dún) part of the Province of Ulster, in Northern Ireland, formerly known as county St Mirren, where they were anciently known as the Mac Giolla Fhiondain, devotees of St. Fintan an ancient sept of Oriel,(roughly equivalent to Ulster,) and the clann being one of the founding septs of Northern Ireland.

Early History of the McLinden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McLinden research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1650 is included under the topic Early McLinden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McLinden Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, a standardized literary language known by the general population of Ireland was a thing of fiction. When a person's name was recorded by one of the few literate scribes, it was up that particular scribe to decide how to spell an individual's name. So a person could have several spelling variations of his name recorded during a single lifetime. Research into the name McLinden revealed many variations, including McAlinden, McAlindan, McAlindon, Glindon, Lindon, Glendon, McLindon, MacLindon, MacAlindon, MacClendon, McClendon, McLinden, McGlindon, MacGlindon, McGlendon and many more.

Early Notables of the McLinden family

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


United States McLinden migration to the United States +

The 18th century saw the slow yet steady emigration of Irish families to British North America and the United States. Those early Irish settlers that left their homeland were typically moderately well off: they were enticed by the promise of a sizable plot of land. However, by the 1840s, this pattern of immigration was gone: immigrants to North America were seeking refuge from the starvation and disease that the Great Potato Famine of that decade brought. The great numbers of Irish that arrived to the United States and the soon to be Canada were instrumental in their quick development as powerful industrial nations. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists uncovered many early immigrants bearing the name McLinden:

McLinden Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • James McLinden, who arrived in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1768
McLinden Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John McLinden, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1878 1

Contemporary Notables of the name McLinden (post 1700) +

  • Melissa Therese McLinden (b. 1964), American volleyball player for the United States national team at the 1988 Summer Olympics
  • Dursley McLinden (1965-1995), Manx actor on the London stage, from Douglas, Isle of Man, known for his work in The Phantom of the Opera, Gigi and Follies
  • Paul McLinden, Scottish musician and songwriter from Glasgow, Scotland
  • Mark McLinden (b. 1979), Australian former professional rugby union and rugby league player who played from 1998 to 2008


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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