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

McCollum, 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 McCollum surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McCollum in America

McCollum is the 1798th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McCollum surname appeared 19,990 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname McCollum.

We can also compare 2010 data for McCollum 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 McCollum

The surname McCollum is of Scottish origin and dates back to the late medieval period in Scotland. It is a patronymic name, meaning it was originally derived from the given name of the father or ancestor. The name is believed to have originated in the region of Argyll and Bute in western Scotland.

McCollum is a variant spelling of the Gaelic name MacCholgan or MacCaluim, which translates to "son of Calum" or "son of Columba." Columba was a famous Irish missionary and saint who brought Christianity to Scotland in the 6th century. The name Calum is derived from the Latin name Columba, meaning "dove."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the McCollum name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls documenting Scottish nobles and landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence. The name is listed as "Gillemychel M'Coluyn" in this record.

In the 15th century, the McCollum name was associated with the Clan Donald, a powerful Highland clan that ruled over much of the western Scottish Isles and parts of the mainland. Several members of the clan bore variations of the name, such as McCallum, MacCalman, and McCalmont.

A notable figure in Scottish history bearing the McCollum name was Sir John McCollum (c. 1540-1623), a Scottish landowner and politician who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1594 to 1595. He played a significant role in the legal and political affairs of Scotland during the reigns of James VI and Charles I.

Another prominent individual with the McCollum surname was Thomas McCollum (1785-1865), a Scottish-born American merchant and landowner who settled in Virginia in the early 19th century. He became one of the wealthiest men in western Virginia and was a major landowner and slave proprietor.

In the 19th century, the McCollum name was also found in Ireland, where it was sometimes anglicized as McCullum or McCullam. One notable Irish McCollum was John McCollum (1832-1911), a Catholic priest and missionary who served in the Diocese of Omaha, Nebraska, and was instrumental in establishing several churches and schools in the region.

Other notable individuals with the McCollum surname include James McCollum (1892-1985), an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Illinois, and William McCollum (born 1944), an American attorney and politician who served as Attorney General of Florida from 2007 to 2011.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McCollum

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!