indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Meaning & History
This is an Irish Gaelic surname recorded in the spellings of MacLerenon, McLernon, McLernan, and McLorinan. It is mostly associated with the province of Ulster in Ireland, although with some branches in Scotland. It is a surname of 'religious' origins, the derivation being from the ancient 'Mac Giolla Ernan' translating as 'the son of the devotee of St. Ernan'. St. Ernan was one of the first saints of Ireland and the West Coast of Scotland in the pre 9th century a.d. What precisely was the role of a devotee in the early days of Christianity is unclear, but the sept prospered particularly in County Down, through the centuries.