The McClanahan surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 10,407 people carried this name — #3,429 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 28,300 people counted. That is up 4% from 10,047 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the McClanahan surname

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic and Irish Mac Leanacháin (“son of Leanachán”), a personal name which ultimately derives from leann (“cloak, mantle”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McClanahan» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

In 1790, McClanahan was counted together with McClenahan: 72 families in all.

Each family is counted by its head. About 380 people lived in those households, 5.3 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: McClenahan, McClanahan, McClanathan, McClangen, McClanihan, McClaningham, McClannan, McClannen, McClannon, McClathan, McClenaghan, McClenahen, McClenan, McClenethan, McClenhiham, McClennacan, McClennahan, McClennan, McClennen, McClennin, McClennon, McClinahan, McLanan, McLenahan, McLenan, McLennan, McLennen. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 22
North Carolina 15
Virginia 10
Massachusetts 8
New York 7
South Carolina 6
Vermont 2
Maine 1
Maryland 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 252 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

McClanahan in American newspapers,
1907–1910.

Newspaper page from The Washington Times carrying the name McClanahan
The Washington Times 1907-04-05
Newspaper page from Los Angeles Herald carrying the name McClanahan
Los Angeles Herald 1910-08-21
Newspaper page from The Fairmont West Virginian carrying the name McClanahan
The Fairmont West Virginian 1907-06-27

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 20,656 pages in all carry the name.

Who carried it

People named McClanahan,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Rue McClanahan
    Rue McClanahan 1934–2010 · autobiographer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0.

In the public record

People named McClanahan,
in the records of 2 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States535 records

535 records of the McClanahan name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 370
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 138
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 10
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 6
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 4
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 4
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Silas C. McClanahan

    Born 1912 in West Virginia. Enlisted 1942 at Huntington; sales clerk. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Docks Creek Cemetery, Kenova, West Virginia.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Terry Lee McClanahan

    Born 1950; from Chesapeake, West Virginia. U.S. Army, ah-1 attack helicopter repairer; killed in action 1971 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Annie McClanahan

    Arrived at New York in 1881 aboard the State of Nevada from Glasgow and Larne, aged 22. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 535 records for McClanahan in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia3 records

3 records of the McClanahan name in Australia Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Alex McClanahan

    Arrived in Victoria in 1862 aboard the Vanguard, aged 20.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 3 records for McClanahan in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to McClanahan.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McClanahan is.
A volume says what happened to it.

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