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

McCollister, 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 McCollister surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McCollister in America

McCollister is the 20648th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McCollister surname appeared 1,282 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 McCollister.

We can also compare 2010 data for McCollister 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 McCollister

The surname McCollister has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic personal name "Caillistair," which means "warlike" or "strife" and was a popular name among the Scottish clans. The prefix "Mc" signifies "son of," making the full name "son of Caillistair."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Chronicles of Melrose Abbey, where a man named Malcolm McCollister is mentioned as having witnessed a charter granted by King David I of Scotland in the year 1153. This suggests that the name was already established in the Scottish Lowlands during that period.

The McCollister family is believed to have originated in the region of Dumfriesshire, located in the southwest of Scotland. The name is closely associated with the town of Lochmaben, where several McCollisters were recorded in historical documents as landowners and prominent citizens.

In the 16th century, a notable figure named Robert McCollister (c. 1520-1590) was a respected clergyman and scholar who served as the Rector of the University of Glasgow. He played a vital role in the Scottish Reformation and was known for his expertise in theology and Latin.

During the 17th century, the McCollister name appeared in various records related to the Scottish Covenanter movement, which sought to preserve Presbyterian church governance against the attempts of King Charles I to impose episcopacy. One such individual, James McCollister (c. 1630-1685), was a prominent Covenanter who was imprisoned for his beliefs.

Another notable McCollister was Sir Archibald McCollister (1685-1761), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1742 to 1744. He was influential in the city's governance and played a role in its development during the Scottish Enlightenment.

In the late 18th century, John McCollister (1767-1828) emigrated from Scotland to America, settling in Pennsylvania. He became a successful merchant and landowner, establishing a lineage of McCollisters in the United States.

Throughout its history, the surname McCollister has been associated with various spellings, such as McColister, McCalister, and McCallister, reflecting the fluidity of surnames in earlier times.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McCollister

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

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 McCollister 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 McCollister 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 McCollister was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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