| ![Show Contents]() MacFarlan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Scotland Ireland In the mountains of Scotland's west coast and on the Hebrides islands, the ancestors of the MacFarlan family were born. Their name comes from the personal name Parlan, which is the Gaelic equivalent of Bartholomew. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Pharlain. Early Origins of the MacFarlan familyThe surname MacFarlan was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland, where they were descended from the ancient Chief Allan, son of Farlane and settled in Strathdonn in Aberdeenshire about the 9th century. This Clan were originally known as the Clan Allan. Official documentation is derived from Gilchrist MacFarlane who was brother of Maldowen, third of the ancient Earls of Lennox in the 13th century. Grandson of Gilchrist was Parlan, the first of the Clan so named. Duncan, sixth Chief of the Clan obtained the lands of Arrochar in 1395. They supported the Earls of Lennox at the Battle of Pinkie, and they also distinguished themselves at the Battle of Langside, fighting against Queen Mary and capturing three of the Queen's standards. 1 The MacFarlane Clan acquired the lands of Arrochar from the Earl of Lennox in the late 14th century. The chief, Duncan, gained many of the surrounding lands through marriage in 1395 and claimed the title of Earl of Lennox upon the death of the old Earl, who had left no male heir. In fact, the MacFarlanes had a reasonable claim to the Earldom of Lennox, for which they fought so strenuously, for their eponymous ancestor was Parlan, the great-grandson of Gilchrist. His brother had been Maldowen, the third of the ancient earls of Lennox during the 13th century. When the title of Earl was conferred upon Sir John Stewart, a bitter feud ensued between the MacFarlanes and the Stewarts, which lasted until the 15th century. Interestingly, in the next century, the warlike MacFarlanes became supporters of their erstwhile foes and distinguished themselves in many battles. However, by the 17th century, the Clan was outlawed and became scattered, with some members immigrating to Ireland and later to America. Early History of the MacFarlan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacFarlan research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1705, 1734, 1758, 1767, 1768, 1771, 1791, 1792, 1804, 1832, 1857 and 1890 are included under the topic Early MacFarlan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. MacFarlan Spelling VariationsIn various documents MacFarlan has been spelled Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. MacFarlane, MacFarlain, MacFarlan, MacFarland, MacParlan, MacParland, MacPartland, MacPartlin, MacPharlane, MacPharlin, MacPharlan and many more. Early Notables of the MacFarlan familyNotable amongst the Clan from early times was - Walter MacFarlan (d. 1767), antiquary, second son of John Macfarlan of Arrochar and Helen, daughter of Robert, second viscount Arbuthnot, succeeded his father in 1705. From his early years Macfarlan d...
- Duncan MacFarlane (1771-1857), principal of Glasgow University, son of Duncan Macfarlane, minister of Drymen, Stirlingshire, was born at Auchingray, 27 Sept. 1771. He was educated for the church at th...
- Patrick MacFarlane (1768-1832), Gaelic scholar, born in 1758, was for some time schoolmaster at Appin, Argyllshire, but latterly resident in Glasgow, where he died towards the end of 1832. His work in...
- Robert MacFarlane (1734-1804), miscellaneous writer, a native of Scotland, was born in 1734, and received his education at the university of Edinburgh, where he proceeded M.A. He settled in London, an...
 Migration of the MacFarlan family to Ireland
Some of the MacFarlan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| MacFarlan migration to the United States | + |
The descendants of the Dalriadan families who made the great crossing of the Atlantic still dot communities along the east coast of the United States and Canada. In the American War of Independence, many of the settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Clan societies and highland games have allowed Canadian and American families of Scottish descent to recover much of their lost heritage. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name MacFarlan or a variant listed above include:
MacFarlan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- John MacFarlan, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1766
MacFarlan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Robert Macfarlan, aged 30, who arrived in Delaware in 1813 2
- William R MacFarlan, who arrived in Mississippi in 1844 2
| MacFarlan migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: MacFarlan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century- Sarah MacFarlan, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1833
| Contemporary Notables of the name MacFarlan (post 1700) | + |
- Ronald MacFarlan, American Engineer
- William Macfarlan, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Yonkers, New York, 1881-83 3
- Major D. Macfarlan, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Cheraw, South Carolina, 1892-93, 1897-1900 3
- Dandridge MacFarlan Cole (1921-1965), American aerospace engineer, futurist, lecturer, and author
- Robert MacFarlan Cole (1889-1986), American chemical engineer, inventor, and author
- Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
- 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 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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MacFarlan migration to the United States 
MacFarlan migration to Canada 
