Macfarlane History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Macfarlane

What does the name Macfarlane mean?

In the mountains of Scotland's west coast and on the Hebrides islands, the ancestors of the Macfarlane 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. 1

Macfarlane Coat of Arms Creation

In clan fights the MacFarlanes were generally on the losing side, but at the battle of Langside they were instrumental in turning the tide of battle at the crucial moment. It is told that MacFarlane came up with three hundred of his men, and, falling on the flank of the Queen's army, threw them into disorder, and thus contributed to the deciding of the fortunes of the day. The MacFarlanes captured three of Queen Mary's standards in the fray.

The chief's reward was not a very tangible one, and is scarcely creditable to the Regent Moray, being merely a crest which flattered his vanity, a demi-savage holding in his right hand a sheaf of arrows and pointing with his left to an imperial crown. The motto borne upon a scroll above the head of the savage is " This I'll defend." 2

Early Origins of the Macfarlane family

The surname Macfarlane 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 was 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. 3

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 Macfarlane family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Macfarlane 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 Macfarlane History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Macfarlane Spelling Variations

Spelling variations are a very common occurrence in records of early Scottish names. They result from the repeated and inaccurate translations that many names went through in the course of various English occupations of Scotland. Macfarlane has been spelled MacFarlane, MacFarlain, MacFarlan, MacFarland, MacParlan, MacParland, MacPartland, MacPartlin, MacPharlane, MacPharlin, MacPharlan and many more.

Early Notables of the Macfarlane family

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...

Macfarlane World Ranking

In the United States, the name Macfarlane is the 7,961^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4 However, in Canada, the name Macfarlane is ranked the 951^st most popular surname with an estimated 5,685 people with that name. 5 And in Australia, the name Macfarlane is the 953^rd popular surname with an estimated 4,166 people with that name. 6 New Zealand ranks Macfarlane as 477^th with 1,428 people. 7

Migration of the Macfarlane family to Ireland

Some of the Macfarlane 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.

Macfarlane migration to the United States +

Scottish settlers arrived in many of the communities that became the backbones of the United States and Canada. Many stayed, but some headed west for the endless open country of the prairies. In the American War of Independence, many Scots who remained loyal to England re-settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Scots across North America were able to recover much of their lost heritage in the 20th century as Clan societies and highland games sprang up across North America. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Macfarlanes to arrive on North American shores:

Macfarlane Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Alexander MacFarlane, who arrived in New York in 1795 8
John MacFarlane, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1795 8

Macfarlane Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James MacFarlane, who arrived in Wyoming in 1829 8
Peter MacFarlane, who landed in New York in 1830 8
Robert Macfarlane, who arrived in New York in 1836 8
Robert MacFarlane, who landed in Albany, NY in 1840 8
J R Macfarlane, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Macfarlane migration to Canada +

Macfarlane Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Ann MacFarlane, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1814
Mr. Andrew MacFarlane, aged 20 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Rose" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 9
Miss. Catherine MacFarlane, aged 3 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Rose" departing 19th April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 1st July 1847 but she died on board 10

Macfarlane migration to Australia +

Macfarlane Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Macfarlane, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on July 29th, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 11
Mr. John Macfarlane, British Convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 5th November 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land)1836 12
Mr. John Macfarlane, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 27th May 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
Duncan MacFarlane, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Charles" in 1840 14
Mr. Walter MacFarlane, English convict who was convicted in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 28th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Macfarlane migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Macfarlane Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John MacFarlane, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bengal Merchant" in 1840 16
Rev. MacFarlane, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Bengal Merchant" arriving in Port Nicholson, (Wellington Harbour), New Zealand on 20th February 1840 17
J. Macfarlane, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "New Zealand" in 1842
Mr. MacFarlane, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Phoebe" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 18th April 1843 16
P. Macfarlane, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Maori" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand via Nelson and Wellington on 1st March 1852 17
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Macfarlane (post 1700) +

Norman Somerville Macfarlane KT, DL, FRSE (1926-2021), Baron Macfarlane of Bearsden, a Scottish industrialist and member of the House of Lords
John Menzies Macfarlane (1833-1892), Scottish-born Latter-day Saint hymnwriter, choir director and civic leader
John Lisle Hall MacFarlane (1851-1874), Scottish international rugby union player and sportsman
John Duncan MacFarlane (1892-1982), Scottish-born farmer and politician who represented Melfort from 1934 to 1938
Ian MacFarlane (b. 1933), Scottish former football player and manager
James Macfarlane (1844-1914), Scottish-born Australian politician, Senator for Tasmania (1901-1910)
Sir George G. Macfarlane (1916-2007), Scottish engineer, scientific administrator and public servant
Duncan Macfarlane (1827-1903), Scottish-born, New Zealand grocer, merchant, government agent, farmer and magistrate
Sir Donald Horne Macfarlane (1830-1904), Scottish merchant and politician, Member of Parliament for Carlow County (1880-1885), for Argyllshire (1885-1886) and (1892-1895)
Dave MacFarlane (1967-2013), Scottish professional football player
... (Another 42 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Macfarlane Motto and War Cry +

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: This I'll defend
War Cry: "Loch Sloy, Loch Sloy"
War Cry Description: Their gathering place was a small lake near the base of Ben Voirlich, and from it they took their war cry, "Loch Sloy, Loch Sloy," a. name which means "the lake of the host."

Sources +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 40)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 84)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 151 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1823
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1835
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CHARLES 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Charles.gif
Convict Records Voyages to Australia. Retrieved 25th March 2022 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emerald-isle
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html