McParland History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The McParland family comes from the ancient Scottish Dalriadan clans of the mountainous west coast of Scotland. The name McParland is derived 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 McParland family

The surname McParland 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. 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 McParland family

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

McParland Spelling Variations

Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. McParland has appeared in various documents spelled MacFarlane, MacFarlain, MacFarlan, MacFarland, MacParlan, MacParland, MacPartland, MacPartlin, MacPharlane, MacPharlin, MacPharlan and many more.

Early Notables of the McParland family

Notable 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 devoted himself to antiquarian research connected with the history of Scotland. Ecclesiastical records specially attracted him, and he employed a clerk named Tait to make copies of most of the cartularies accessible to him; the copies are notable for their accuracy and neatness. Macfarlan appears to have held strict views on etiquette. 2Duncan MacFarlane (1771-1857), principal of Glasgow University, son of Duncan Macfarlane...
Another 197 words (14 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McParland Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McParland family to Ireland

Some of the McParland 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.

McParland migration to the United States +

Dalriadan families proliferated in North America. Their descendants still populate many communities in the eastern parts of both the United States and Canada. Some settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists, in the wake of the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border have recovered much of their heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name McParland or a variant listed above:

McParland Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ann McParland, aged 45, who settled in America from Armagh, in 1893

McParland Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ellen McParland, aged 28, who immigrated to the United States from Armagh, in 1904
James McParland, aged 35, who landed in America from Armagh, in 1904
Edward McParland, aged 22, who landed in America from Belleck, Ireland, in 1910
Jennie Mcparland, aged 23, who settled in America from Newry, Ireland, in 1913
Daniel McParland, aged 28, who landed in America from Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1920
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McParland (post 1700) +

Leland S. McParland (1896-1989), American Wisconsin Democratic attorney and politician
James McParland (1843-1919), Irish-born, American Pinkerton agent, referred to as the "Great Detective", best known for his work against the Molly Maguires, and a fictional appearance in The Valley of Fear
Susan McParland, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1976
Leland S. McParland, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wisconsin, 1952; Wisconsin Democratic State Chair, 1954-56; Member of Wisconsin State Senate 7th District
Tony Patrick McParland (b. 1982), Scottish football player
Ian 'Charlie' John McParland (b. 1961), Scottish former professional association football player
Anthony McParland (b. 1982), Scottish football player
Peter James McParland MBE (b. 1934), Northern Irish former professional footballer

Historic Events for the McParland family +

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Terence Mcparland, Irish Fireman from Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 3

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/