Fun Facts About the Name Maclin
- 443 babies named Maclin: U.S. records list 443 babies given the name Maclin from 1880 through 2025. Even 11 girls received the name Maclin - about 1 girl for every 39 boys.
What Does the Name Maclin Mean?
Maclin is an English-language surname that is occasionally used as a given name. Its usual explanation treats it as a spelling variant of Macklin, a surname of Irish Gaelic origin: Mac Floinn, "son of Flann." Flann is an old Irish personal name meaning "red" or "ruddy," so the literal sense is "son of the red (or ruddy) one." That meaning is inherited from Macklin; Maclin is not treated as a separate name in the standard name dictionaries, and the single c that sets it apart from Macklin is a spelling variation rather than a different word.
Macklin itself has more than one explanation, so the derivation is not fully settled. Alongside Mac Floinn, Irish surname references note that Macklin was sometimes adopted as a shortened form of Mac Lochlainn, the Gaelic name behind McLaughlin. Some surname dictionaries list Macklin as an English name without assigning it a Gaelic source, which leaves the ultimate origin behind any particular Maclin family impossible to fix from the name alone.
Maclin Name History & Origins
Maclin belongs to the large group of Irish and Scottish surnames beginning with Mac, "son of." The parent form Mac Floinn was anglicized in Ireland in several ways as English spelling and record-keeping replaced Gaelic scribal practice, and spellings with -ck- and with a single c were used side by side. Maclin is the less common of the two spellings.
The best-known bearer of the Macklin spelling is the Irish actor Charles Macklin (born in County Donegal, died 1797), who by the usual account of his life was originally named McLaughlin and shortened the name. His career shows how closely the Macklin and McLaughlin spellings could overlap in the eighteenth century, which is one reason the two derivations are still cited for the same spelling.
Maclin is also found in the United States, and the surname there is carried by the football player Jeremy Maclin. As a given name, Maclin is rare and is best understood as a transferred use of the surname rather than as an established traditional personal name.
How Popular is the Name Maclin?
Maclin has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2018. Its best rank was #2,870 in 2018.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | #17,429 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #15,657 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,099 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2024 | #5,159 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2023 | #4,174 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2022 | #3,584 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2021 | #5,044 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2020 | #3,007 | 39 | 0.0023% |
| 2019 | #3,768 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2018 | #2,870 | 42 | 0.0023% |
| 2017 | #4,411 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2016 | #2,964 | 40 | 0.0021% |
| 2015 | #3,838 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 2014 | #5,621 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2013 | #7,353 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2012 | #4,622 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2011 | #4,599 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2010 | #5,928 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2009 | #10,577 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #10,604 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #12,043 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #8,582 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Maclin Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have psychic power. You can carry on for others with joy. You have a receptive nature and may bear burdens for others. You are pragmatic, thorough, strong-willed, practical and stubborn at times. You are hard working, often martyr to duty. You like home and security above all. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Maclin's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Maclin's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.