Show ContentsMcErlane History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

MacErlean is a phonetic interpretation of the Irish Mac (an) Fhirleighinn, which means the son of the learned man or lector.

Early Origins of the McErlane family

The surname McErlane was first found in near Sligo town, County Sligo (Irish: Sligeach), in the province of Connacht in Northwestern Ireland, in the 15th century.

Early History of the McErlane family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McErlane research. Another 27 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1603 and 1660 are included under the topic Early McErlane History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McErlane Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: MacErlean, MacErlen, MacErlyn, McErlean, McErlane, McErlain and many more.

Early Notables of the McErlane family

Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McErlane Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States McErlane migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McErlane Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James McErlane, who immigrated to New York in 1851

New Zealand McErlane 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:

McErlane Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Henry McErlane, (b. 1954), aged 22, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Pomona" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1876 1

Contemporary Notables of the name McErlane (post 1700) +

  • James McErlane, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 2008


  1. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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