MCFARLAN
Recorded variant spellings include Mc Farlan, Mcfarlan
McFarlan is a surname of Gaelic origin, borne by families in Scotland and Ireland and now recognised across a broad spectrum of English‑speaking countries. Its roots lie in the Old Irish and Scottish Gaelic traditions, and the name has survived in a number of orthographic forms through the centuries.
The surname derives from the Gaelic Mac Pharlain, meaning “son of Parlan.” Parlan is a diminutive of the Gaelic Parthalán, itself believed to have arisen from the Old Irish word part, a term that denotes a ploughman or a farmer. Consequently the name originally identified the bearer's father or ancestor as a person associated with agriculture.
Several variants of the name are documented, including MacFarlane, McFarlane, MacFarlan, McFarlan, MacFarland, MacFarlin, McParland and McParlin. The surname is recorded as an ancient Scottish name and has also appeared in Irish records. According to tradition, it may have been introduced to the Low Countries by crusaders returning from the Holy Land in the 12th century, suggesting a possible link to the name Bartholomew; this association is echoed by the medieval spelling Mar Pharlain, which some interpret as “son of Bartholomew.” Another theory, though less widely accepted, proposes a pre‑7th‑century Viking origin, interpreting the name as meaning “sea‑wave.” In any event, the earliest extant record of the family is the charter witness Malcolm McPharlane in 1385, during the reign of King Robert the First of Scotland (1371 - 1390).
From the fourteenth century onward the surname displays a series of spelling variations that so illustrate its evolution. In 1546 the name appears as Makfarlande, in 1603 as M'Farlen, and in 1610 as MacPharline. By the mid‑seventeenth century clerical records give examples such as Dugall McFarlane, who married Helena Wallace at Cannongate, Edinburgh on 15 June 1653, and Alexander McFarlan, born 3 September 1730, also at Edinburgh.
In Scotland the family is historically associated with the Highlands, particularly the Argyll area and the broader region of Inverness‑shire. Their activities traditionally spanned fishing, dairy farming and military service, with documented participation in the Wars of Scottish Independence and later the Jacobite uprisings. The clan’s legacy in the Highlands continues to be commemorated in local histories and genealogical studies.
Throughout the twentieth and early twenty‑first centuries the surname spread beyond the British Isles. Patterns of emigration recorded in the United States show a concentration of McFarlan families along the Eastern Seaboard and the Midwest, with moderate occurrences in states such as Arizona and California. In Canada, the name is particularly common in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and the Maritimes, the distribution echoing the routes taken by nineteenth‑century Scottish emigrants. Diasporic communities in Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, France, Germany and several African nations also include individuals bearing the surname, a testimony to the widespread movement of Scottish settlers in the last two centuries.
Although the surname has seen a number of orthographic adaptations, the form McFarlan remains the most prevalent in contemporary usage, particularly in Scotland, Canada and the United States. Its continued prevalence underscores its enduring cultural resonance and the historical continuity of its bearers.
Typical given names associated with the McFarlan surname
Male
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Female
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname McFarlan in...
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There are approximately 86 people named McFarlan in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around one in a million people in Britain are named McFarlan.
