2000
#3,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,897
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.67
Uncommon Last name
Mccallum
Son of Calum, a Scottish Gaelic name derived from the Latin Columba, meaning "dove."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,497 Americans carry the last name Mccallum. That puts it at #3,472 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,813 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccallum surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mccallum with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 29,813
Census rank
#3,472
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,026 bearers of the surname Mccallum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3472nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccallum, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccallum
The surname McCallum is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic "mac Challuim" meaning "son of Calum" or "son of the dove." The name can be traced back to the 12th century in Scotland, particularly in the regions of Argyll and the Western Isles.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Malcolm Mackalmunel" in this document. Similar spellings such as "MacCholman" and "MacCholmun" were also found in medieval Scottish records.
The name McCallum has historical connections to the Clan MacLeod and the Clan Donald, two powerful Scottish clans. In the 16th century, a branch of the Clan Donald adopted the surname McCallum, and they were known as the "McCallumore" or "McCallumlot" sept.
One notable McCallum in history was Alexander McCallum (1784-1851), a Scottish-born American author and journalist who wrote extensively about the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Another prominent figure was John McCallum (1857-1923), a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as the Premier of Western Australia from 1901 to 1902.
In the literary world, Archibald McCallum (1890-1974) was a Canadian novelist and short story writer known for his works depicting rural life in Ontario. William Cooper McCallum (1921-2013) was a renowned American mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of analysis and functional analysis.
Lastly, Pamela McCallum (1934-2008) was a British-born Australian actress and singer who had a successful career in theater, television, and film. She is remembered for her roles in the Australian television series "Bellbird" and the film "The Fringe Dwellers."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccallum
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccallum, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccallum bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Mccallum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.8% · 7,099
- Black or African American20.9% · 2,094
- Two or more races3.8% · 386
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 317
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccallum
Mccallum appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,229
+332 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 3.47
Rank movement Down 179 places
2020
#3,472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,026
-203 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 3.35
Rank movement Up 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,316 | 9,897 | 3.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,495 | 10,229 | 3.47 | +332 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 179 places |
| 2020 | #3,472 | 10,026 | 3.35 | -203 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 23 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Mccallum surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,495 | #3,472 | 0.7% |
| Count | 10,229 | 10,026 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.47 | 3.35 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccallum bearers went from 10,229 to 10,026 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,495 to #3,472.
FAQ
Mccallum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccallum?
Name Census estimates that about 11,497 living Americans carry the surname Mccallum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,813 residents.
How common is Mccallum?
Mccallum ranks #3,472 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,026 people with the surname Mccallum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,497), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mccallum.
Has Mccallum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccallum went from 10,229 recorded bearers to 10,026. That is a decrease of 203 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,495 to #3,472.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccallum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccallum, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mccallum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.8% (7,099 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccallum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.8%), Black (20.9%), Two or More Races (3.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Mccallum (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Mccallum mean?
Son of Calum, a Scottish Gaelic name derived from the Latin Columba, meaning "dove." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Mccallum (3.35 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Mccallum?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.