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McFarland History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

McFarland History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of McFarland

What does the name McFarland mean?

The ancestors of the McFarland family come from the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. The family name comes 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 McFarland family

The surname McFarland 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 McFarland family

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

McFarland Spelling Variations

Historical recordings of the name McFarland include many spelling variations. They are the result of repeated translations of the name from Gaelic to English and inconsistencies in spelling rules. They include MacFarlane, MacFarlain, MacFarlan, MacFarland, MacParlan, MacParland, MacPartland, MacPartlin, MacPharlane, MacPharlin, MacPharlan and many more.

Early Notables of the McFarland 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 McFarland Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McFarland Ranking

In the United States, the name McFarland is the 816^th most popular surname with an estimated 37,305 people with that name. 3

Migration of the McFarland family to Ireland

Some of the McFarland 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.

McFarland 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 McFarland or a variant listed above:

McFarland Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Duncan McFarland, who landed in New England in 1718 4
Andrew McFarland, who arrived in New England in 1719 4
Daniel McFarland, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1723 4
Elenor McFarland, who arrived in New England in 1723 4
George McFarland, who landed in New England in 1752 4

McFarland Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert McFarland, who landed in America in 1803 4
Dennis McFarland, who arrived in America in 1805 4
Elizth McFarland, who arrived in America in 1806 4
Jane McFarland, who arrived in America in 1806 4
Robert McFarland, who arrived in America in 1806 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McFarland migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McFarland Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. James McFarland U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 5
Mr. John McFarland U.E. who settled in Carleton, [Saint John West] New Brunswick c. 1784 5
Mr. Malcom McFarland U.E. who settled in Shefford Township, Eastern Townships [La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality], Quebec c. 1784 5

McFarland Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

William McFarland, aged 13, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
Mary McFarland, aged 10, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
Matilda McFarland, aged 6, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
Peggy McFarland, aged 3, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
Patrick McFarland, aged 5, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McFarland migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

McFarland Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John McFarland, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairfield" in 1839 6
William McFarland, aged 21, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Amazon"

McFarland 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:

McFarland Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. McFarland, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Edward Bouverie" arriving in Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand on 10th August 1870 7
Mr. McFarland, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Edward Bouverie" arriving in Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand on 10th August 1870 7

Contemporary Notables of the name McFarland (post 1700) +

Hayley McFarland (b. 1991), American actress, best known for portraying Emily Lightman in the Fox crime drama series Lie to Me
George "Spanky" McFarland (1928-1993), American actor, known for his role as "Spanky" in the Our Gang series
Kay McFarland (1935-2015), American jurist, Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court (1977-2009)
Kathleen Troia "KT" McFarland (b. 1951), American communications consultant, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs
Francis Patrick McFarland (1819-1874), American Catholic bishop, 3rd Bishop of Hartford
John C. McFarland (1840-1881), American sailor in the United States Navy awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the American Civil War, eponym of the USS McFarland (DD-237/AVD-14) was a Clemson-class destroyer
Gary McFarland (1933-1971), American composer, arranger, vibraphonist and vocalist, founder of The Gary McFarland Orchestra
Brigadier-General Earl McFarland (1883-1972), American Executive Officer for the Assistant Secretary of War (1931-1933) 8
Brigadier-General Andrew Jackson McFarland (1888-1965), American Secretary of Combined Staff Planers, Combined Chiefs of Staff (1942) 9
Mark McFarland (b. 1978), American NASCAR race driver
... (Another 60 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FAIRFIELD 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Fairfield.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2013, February 12) Earl McFarland. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/McFarland/Earl/USA.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2013, February 12) Andrew McFarland. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/McFarland/Andrew_Jackson/USA.html