George Brinton McClellan, born in Philadelphia in 1826, served as a general during the initial years of the American Civil War. For several of those months — from November 1861 to March 1862 — he was the commander of the entire Union Army.
In 1864, he unsuccessfully ran for president against Abraham Lincoln. Years later, he was elected governor of New Jersey (1878-1881).
Hundreds of U.S. baby boys were named after George B. McClellan, particularly during the first half of the 1860s. Some examples…
- George B. M. Erwin (b. 1867, Pennsylvania)
- George B. Mc. Waite (b. 1866, Pennsylvania)
- George B. McClellan Wehrly (b. 1865, Indiana)
- George B. McC. Rhoads (b. 1864, Pennsylvania)
- George Brinton McClellan Harvey (b. 1864, Vermont)
- George Brinton McClellan Pressel (b. 1864, Pennsylvania)
- Geo. B. Maurer (b. 1864, Ohio)
- He had a brother named after William T. Sherman
- George B. McClelland Lingo (b. 1863, Ohio)
- George B. McClellan Noss (b. 1863, Pennsylvania)
- G. B. McClellan Anglin (b. 1863, Indiana)
- Brinton M. Binkley (b. 1862, Pennsylvania)
- George B. McClellan Christie (b. 1862, Illinois)
- Geo. B. McClellen Stauffer (b. 1862, Maryland)
- George Brinton McClelland Wolfe (b. 1861, Ohio)
- G. B. McC. Beck (b. 1860, Pennsylvania)
A high percentage of McClellan’s namesakes were born in his home state of Pennsylvania. In fact, the name Brinton (which was McClellan’s mother’s maiden name) still sees its highest usage in Pennsylvania, according to the SSA’s state-by-state baby name data.
Source: George B. McClellan – Wikipedia