Leland

English

Etymology

Shortened from McLeland, McClellan, from Irish Mac Giolla Fhaoláin, "son of servant of (Saint) Faolán (=Little Wolf)".

Proper noun

Leland

1. A surname from Irish
2. A male given name transferred from the surname.
   • 1960, Ken Kesey, Sometimes a Great Notion, Penguin 2006 →ISBN

     The old man, busy with expanding his logging operations, took no special notice of the blessed event other than christening the boy Leland Stanford Stamper in what he considered a favor to his young wife; he stomped into her room in Wakonda, calk boots and all, trailing sawdust, mud, and the stink of machine oil, and announced, “Little honey, I intend to let you call that boy there after that school you're forever mooning about quittin'. How does that strike you?"

   • 1992 Sue Grafton, I is for Innocent, Pan Macmillan 2010 →ISBN

     With a name like Leland, he was doomed. He looked like the kind of kid who'd been tormented by his schoolmates since the first day of school, too bright and too big to avoid the involuntary cruelties of other middle-class children.

Related terms

• Phelan
• Whelan