Find out how popular the last name McColley is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named McColley.

McColley, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the McColley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McColley in America

McColley is the 23804th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McColley surname appeared 1,062 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname McColley.

We can also compare 2010 data for McColley to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name McColley

The surname McColley is of Scottish origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the village of Cullen, located in the northeast of Scotland in Banffshire. The name is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "collie" which is a derivative of "cuilean" meaning "whelp" or "young dog."

McColley is a variant spelling of the more common surname McCulley or McCullie. In old Scottish records, the name has been recorded as MacCulloch, MacCullagh, and MacCullie among various other spellings. The earliest known record of the name dates back to 1296, when a John McCullagh is mentioned in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage renderings to King Edward I of England.

The McColley name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded figures was Sir Thomas McCulloch (c. 1430-1475), a Scottish nobleman who served as the Chamberlain of the Exchequer to King James III of Scotland. Another prominent McColley was Sir Archibald McCulloch (1770-1835), a British military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later served as the Lieutenant Governor of Gibraltar.

In the late 16th century, the name appears in the records of the Clan MacCulloch, a Scottish clan based in Wigtownshire. One of the most notable members of this clan was Sir Godfrey McCulloch (1575-1647), a Scottish landowner and politician who served as a member of the Scottish Parliament.

In the literary world, Robert McCulley (1807-1870) was a Scottish poet and author who wrote several works celebrating Scottish culture and history. He is particularly known for his poem "The Lament of the Emigrant Highlanders."

Another notable figure was Thomas McCulley (1776-1843), an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States Senator from Maryland from 1835 to 1841.

While the surname McColley is primarily associated with Scotland, it has also been found in other parts of the English-speaking world due to Scottish migration and settlement. However, it remains a relatively uncommon name compared to its various spelling variations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McColley

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname McColley.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for McColley was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of McColley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name McColley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of McColley, please contact us.

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