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

McCollough, 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 McCollough surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McCollough in America

McCollough is the 7774th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McCollough surname appeared 4,269 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname McCollough.

We can also compare 2010 data for McCollough 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 McCollough

The surname McCollough is of Scottish origin, originating from the Gaelic Mac Olochaidh, meaning "son of the lame one." The name likely emerged in the 13th or 14th century in the Scottish Highlands.

Some early records of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Variants of the spelling included MacCulloch, MacCullough, and MacColluch.

In the 16th century, the McColloughs were a prominent family in the Scottish Borders region, particularly in the area around Dumfries. One notable figure was William McCulloch (c. 1590-1660), a Scottish minister who played a role in the National Covenant and the Glasgow Assembly of 1638.

As the name spread across Scotland and into Ulster, Ireland, it took on various spellings such as McCullough, McCulloch, and McCullagh. In the late 17th century, several McCollough families emigrated to the American colonies, settling in areas like Pennsylvania and Virginia.

One significant figure was Robert McCulloch (1809-1862), a Scottish-American inventor and engineer who developed the first commercially successful cast-iron plow. Another notable individual was Hiram McCullough (1819-1885), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War who later served as the 16th Governor of New Jersey.

Other notable individuals with the surname include Frank McCullough (1885-1952), an American actor and film director during the silent film era, and Angus McCullough (1888-1960), a Scottish-Canadian diplomat who served as the first Canadian ambassador to Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The spelling "McCollough" is relatively uncommon compared to other variations, but it can be found among families of Scottish and Scots-Irish descent in various parts of the world, particularly in North America and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McCollough

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

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

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

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