Show ContentsMcClendon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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

Early Origins of the McClendon family

The surname McClendon 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 McClendon family

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

McClendon Spelling Variations

Individual scribes in the Ireland during the Middle Ages would often record a person's name various ways. How the name was recorded depended on what that particular scribe believed the proper spelling for the name pronounced to him was. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origin of the McClendon family name include McAlinden, McAlindan, McAlindon, Glindon, Lindon, Glendon, McLindon, MacLindon, MacAlindon, MacClendon, McClendon, McLinden, McGlindon, MacGlindon, McGlendon and many more.

Early Notables of the McClendon family

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

McClendon Ranking

In the United States, the name McClendon is the 1,363rd most popular surname with an estimated 22,383 people with that name. 1


McClendon migration to the United States +

Irish families began to immigrate to British North America and the United States in the 18th century, but the greatest influx of Irish immigrants came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. The earlier settlers came to North America after a great deal of consideration and by paying relatively high fees for their passage. These settlers were primarily drawn by the promise of land. Those later settlers that came during the 1840's were trying to escape the conditions of poverty, starvation, disease, and death that had stricken Ireland. Due to the enormity of their numbers and the late date of their arrival, these immigrants primarily became hired laborers instead of homesteading settlers like their predecessors. An exhaustive search of immigration and passenger lists has revealed many Irish immigrants North America bearing the name McClendon:

McClendon Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Kate McClendon, aged 38, who landed in America, in 1911
  • Mary Anne McClendon, aged 6, who immigrated to the United States, in 1914
  • Anne McClendon, aged 34, who immigrated to the United States, in 1914
  • Elizabeth McClendon, aged 4, who landed in America, in 1914
  • James McClendon, aged 41, who settled in America, in 1914

Contemporary Notables of the name McClendon (post 1700) +

  • Ruth Jones McClendon (1943-2017), American Democratic Party politician, Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 120th district (1996-2016) 2
  • Aubrey Kerr McClendon (1959-2016), American businessman, founder and CEO of American Energy Partners
  • Eric Reiley McClendon II (b. 1990), American actor
  • Sarah Newcomb McClendon (1910-2003), American journalist and long-time White House reporter
  • Lloyd Glenn McClendon (b. 1959), former left and right fielder and manager in Major League Baseball
  • Rose McClendon (1884-1936), leading African American Broadway actress of the 1920s
  • Reiley McClendon (b. 1990), American television and film actor
  • Jesse Francis McClendon (1880-1976), American chemist, zoologist and physiologist
  • Bryan McClendon (b. 1983), American NFL football wide receiver
  • Jesse H. McClendon Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 1952 (alternate), 1956 2
  • ... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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