Contents [hide]

Maclellan History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Canada West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

MacLellan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

In ancient Scotland, the first people to use the name MacLellan were part of a tribe known as the Strathclyde Britons. The name is derived from the son of the servant of Fillan. Fillan is derived from the word fail which means wolf. In Gaelic, the name was spelled Mac Gill Fhaolain

Early Origins of the MacLellan family

The surname MacLellan was first found in the former counties of Kirkcudbrightshire and Galloway where Chief Duncan MacLellan appears in a charter of Alexander II in 1217. Other early records of the surname include Gilbert M'Lolane, who lived around the year 1270. Gilbert's son Patrick, along with several others, took the castle of Dumfries from the supporters of Robert the Bruce in around 1305. Gilelbertus MacLelan was elected Bishop of Man and the Sudreys in 1325 and held the position for almost 3 years.

Early History of the MacLellan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacLellan research. Another 200 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1347, 1450, 1457, 1466, 1513, 1547, 1597, 1633, 1641, 1647 and 1890 are included under the topic Early MacLellan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacLellan Spelling Variations

Surnames that evolved in Scotland in the Middle Ages often appear under many spelling variations. These are due to the practice of spelling according to sound in the era before dictionaries had standardized the English language. MacLellan has appeared as MacClelland, McClellan, MacLellan, McLellan, MacLelland, McLelland, MacClelland, McClelland, Clelland and many more.

Early Notables of the MacLellan family

Notable amongst bearers of this family name during their early history was

Sir William Maclellan of Bombie, knighted by King James IV of Scotland, who fought for the king in the losing Battle of Flodden Field in 1513...
Sir Thomas Maclellan (died 1597), was Provost of Kirkcudbright, and father of Robert Maclellan (died 1641), 1st Lord Kirkcudbright...
It was Sir Thomas who had MacLellan's Castle built in the town of Kirkcudbright...

Migration of the MacLellan family to Ireland

Some of the MacLellan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 96 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacLellan migration to the United States +

The North American colonies beckoned, with their ample land and opportunity as their freedom from the persecution suffered by so many Clan families back home. Many Scots even fought against England in the American War of Independence to gain this freedom. Recently, clan societies have allowed the ancestors of these brave Scottish settlers to rediscover their familial roots. Among them:

MacLellan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Maclellan, who settled in Grenada in 1788
Archibald Maclellan, who arrived in New York in 1790 1

MacLellan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George L Maclellan, who landed in Colorado in 1888 1

MacLellan Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

John G. Maclellan, aged 35, who immigrated to the United States from Glasgow, in 1905
Malcolm MacLellan, aged 2, who landed in America from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1907
William MacLellan, aged 25, who immigrated to America from Dalmellington, Scotland, in 1907
Archibald MacLellan, aged 4, who settled in America from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1907
Elizabeth MacLellan, aged 7, who landed in America from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1907
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

MacLellan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

MacLellan Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John MacLellan, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1773 aboard the Hector

MacLellan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Don Maclellan, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1801

MacLellan migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 2

MacLellan Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Donald Maclellan, a "prisoner of the '45' sent to Barbados or Jamaica in 1745

Contemporary Notables of the name MacLellan (post 1700) +

Charles Archibald MacLellan (1885-1961), 20th-century American painter and illustrator
Keith William MacLellan (1920-1998), Canadian soldier, scholar and Canadian diplomat
John James MacLellan (1878-1935), Canadian provincial politician from Alberta
Robert Simpson MacLellan (1925-2011), Canadian Progressive Conservative party member of the Canadian House of Commons from Nova Scotia
Jack Maclellan (b. 1988), Canadian professional ice hockey player
Geoff MacLellan, Canadian politician from Nova Scotia
Alban Erskine MacLellan, Canadian railway foreman and a provincial politician from Alberta
Catherine MacLellan, Canadian folk singer-songwriter
Brian John MacLellan (b. 1958), retired Canadian ice hockey forward
Robert Roy Cameron "Rob" Maclellan (b. 1934), former Australian politician
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies