McLaren
A Scottish surname most often taken from the Gaelic clan name Mac Labhruinn, meaning “son of Laurence” or “son of Lorn/Lauren.”
The #5,799 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 51,734 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McLaren is usually explained as the Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac Labhruinn, a patronymic meaning “son of Laurence” or “son of Labhrann/Labhruinn,” a Gaelic rendering of the personal name Laurence. Some older writers also linked the name with clan territory and local Gaelic forms, but the personal-name explanation is the standard one. The spelling McLaren is one of several English renderings of the same Gaelic surname; MacLaren is another common form.
History
The name is associated with Clan MacLaren, a Highland clan historically centered in Perthshire and the district around Balquhidder and Lochearnhead. In the 19th and 20th centuries, writers occasionally discussed the clan name alongside variants such as MacLaurin and MacLaren, reflecting shifting English spellings of Gaelic names. The surname spread beyond Scotland through emigration to England, North America, and other parts of the English-speaking world.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The clan name is often associated with a laurel badge in later heraldic tradition, though the surname itself is not derived from the plant name.
From the historical record
“Anne Nash : St. Mary Aldermary, p. 4a. 1805. — Charles Maclaren and Sarah Rowan : St Gea Han. Sq. ii. 336. London, a ; Philadelphia, 69. Rowand; v. Round.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)