2000
#1,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,341
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.17
Uncommon Last name
Mccollum
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "column" or "pillar," likely referring to a distinctive landscape feature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,830 Americans carry the last name Mccollum. That puts it at #1,850 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,701 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccollum 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 Mccollum with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,701
Census rank
#1,850
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,037 bearers of the surname Mccollum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1850th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccollum, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccollum
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccollum, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccollum 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 Mccollum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.4% · 14,172
- Black or African American17.3% · 3,297
- Two or more races4.1% · 784
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 581
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 121
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 82
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccollum
Mccollum 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
#1,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,990
+649 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 6.78
Rank movement Down 98 places
2020
#1,850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,037
-953 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 6.37
Rank movement Down 52 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,700 | 19,341 | 7.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,798 | 19,990 | 6.78 | +649 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 98 places |
| 2020 | #1,850 | 19,037 | 6.37 | -953 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 52 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 Mccollum 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 | #1,798 | #1,850 | -2.9% |
| Count | 19,990 | 19,037 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 6.78 | 6.37 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccollum bearers went from 19,990 to 19,037 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 52 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,798 to #1,850.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mccollum
FAQ
Mccollum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccollum?
Name Census estimates that about 21,830 living Americans carry the surname Mccollum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,701 residents.
How common is Mccollum?
Mccollum ranks #1,850 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,037 people with the surname Mccollum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,830), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Mccollum.
Has Mccollum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccollum went from 19,990 recorded bearers to 19,037. That is a decrease of 953 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,798 to #1,850.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccollum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccollum, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Mccollum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.4% (14,172 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccollum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.4%), Black (17.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Mccollum (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 Mccollum mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "column" or "pillar," likely referring to a distinctive landscape feature. 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 Mccollum (6.37 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 Mccollum?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.