MacLin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland
England

The Anglo-Norman Conquest of Ireland lead by Strongbow introduced the first non-Gaelic elements into Irish nomenclature. These Anglo-Normans brought some traditions to Ireland that were not readily found within Gaelic system of hereditary surnames. One of the best examples of this is the local surname. Local surnames, such as MacLin, were taken from the name of a place or a geographical feature where the person lived, held land, or was born. These surnames were very common in England, but were almost non-existent within Ireland previous to the conquest. Originally, these place names were prefixed by "de," which means "from" in French. This type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname, if the place name began with a vowel, or was eliminated entirely. The MacLin family originally lived in the settlement of Llanaghan, which is in the Welsh county of Brecon.

Early Origins of the MacLin family

The surname MacLin was first found in County Roscommon (Irish: Ros Comáin) located in central Ireland in the province of Connacht, where they were granted lands by Strongbow after his invasion of Ireland in 1172.

Early History of the MacLin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacLin research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1249 is included under the topic Early MacLin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacLin Spelling Variations

It was found during an investigation of the origins of the name MacLin that church officials and medieval scribes often spelled the name as it sounded. This practice lead to a single person's being documented under many spelling variations. The name MacLin has existed in the various shapes: Lanigan, Lanahan, Lenaghan, Lanaghan, Linehan and many more.

Early Notables of the MacLin family

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

MacLin Ranking

In the United States, the name MacLin is the 11,348^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

MacLin migration to the United States +

Irish immigration to North American began in the late 18th century as many Irish families desired to own their own land. This pattern of immigration grew slowly yet steadily until the 1840s. At that time, a failed crop and a growing population in Ireland resulted in the Great Potato Famine. Poverty, disease, and starvation ravaged the land. To ease their pain and suffering the Irish often looked upon North America as a solution: hundreds of thousands undertook the voyage. Their arrival meant the growth of industry and commerce for British North America and the United States. For the individual Irishman, it meant survival and hope, and the opportunity for work, freedom, and ownership of land. The early immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name MacLin:

MacLin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Maclin, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1838 2

MacLin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

MacLin Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Marguerite Maclin, aged 12, who landed in Montreal in 1659

Contemporary Notables of the name MacLin (post 1700) +

Corey Maclin (1970-2013), American television broadcaster, announcer, play-by-play commentator and politician
Lonnie Lee Maclin (b. 1967), American former Major League Baseball left-fielder who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1993 season
Jeremy Maclin (b. 1988), American NFL football wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs
F. Maclin Marrow Jr., American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Gibraltar, 1921-22 3

The MacLin Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Patriae infelici fidelis
Motto Translation: Faithful to an unhappy country.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html