Macklin

• Origin: Scots-Irish
• Meaning: unknown
• Gender: rarely unisex, mainly male
• First Est. 18th-century
• Spelling variations: Mac(k)lyn(n), Maclin

From the transferred use of a Scots-Irish surname of uncertain meaning, many believe it is an offshoot of McLean or MacLean (son or servant Eoin (John) or son or servant of St. John).

As a given-name, there are numerous records of its usage on males under various spellings starting in the 18th century, no doubt used in honour of a family surname. Early examples include American stage actor Macklyn Arbuckle (1866–1931), American politician Maclyn Goldman (1901–1977), and American scientist Maclyn McCarty (1911–2005).

Macklin is also the name of a town in Saskatchewan, Canada.

It first debuted in the U.S. Top 1000 Most Popular Male Names in 2025, coming in as the #998 most popular male name, no doubt fueled by the recent fame of Canadian hockey player Macklin Celebrini (b. 2006), who was the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and represented Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

It has youthful, modern appeal, along with the nickname Mack. However, this name has the potential of crossing over into female territory, and there has been rare usage of this name on females in recent years, mostly under the Macklyn(n) rendering.

Sister Names: Addison, Ainsley, Alexis, Bailey, Bevin, Blair, Cameron/Camryn, Casey, Cassidy, Darc(e)y, Delaney, Devon/Devyn, Duffy, Ellery, Emerson, Fallon, Flannery, Finley, Glynis, Greer, Hadley, Hayley (and all its forms), Ireland (and all its forms), Jamie (and all its forms), Jodie/Jody, Jordan, Kelli(e)/Kelly, Kennedy, Mackenzie, Madison, Mckenna, Oakley/Oaklyn(n), Paige, Paisley, Parker, Quinn, Reagan/Raegen, Reese, Riley, Shannon, Shawn, Shea, Taylor, Tara, Trac(e)y, Whitley, Wynn(e).

Brother Names: Amory, Angus, Avery, Barrett, Bentley, Blake, Cameron/Camryn, Casey, Devon/Devin, Dolan, Donovan, Emmett, Emery, Evan, Fife, Finley, Frasier, Graham, Griffith, Gulliver, Ian, Innis, Jackson, Jamie, Kalen, Kendall, Kingsley, Laird, Lachlan, Lorcan, Magee, Maguire, Malcolm, Nairn, Neil, Nolan, Owen, Parker, Peyton, Preston, Quinn, Rafferty, Remington, Rhys, Scott, Sloan, Sullivan, Tate, Teague, Tiernan.

Sources

• https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/macklin/539/
• https://surnames.behindthename.com/name/mclean
• https://appellationmountain.net/baby-name-of-the-day-macklin/