2000
#4,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,021
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.97
Rare Last name
Mcculloch
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cullach," meaning "son of the boar" or "son of Cullach."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,791 Americans carry the last name Mcculloch. That puts it at #4,491 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,989 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcculloch 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 Mcculloch with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 38,989
Census rank
#4,491
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,666 bearers of the surname Mcculloch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4491st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcculloch, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcculloch
The surname McCulloch has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "cuilloch" meaning "boar" or "young boar." This suggests that the name may have been a descriptive nickname for an ancestor who possessed boar-like characteristics or lived in an area populated by these animals.
The name McCulloch is closely related to the Scottish clan MacCulloch, which held lands in the counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document containing a list of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Among the names listed is "Patricii Makculochi."
In the 14th century, a branch of the McCulloch family settled in the parish of Plunton, near Stirling. This is evidenced by a charter from 1368 that mentions "Robert McCulloch of Plunton." The name also appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in the 15th century, where a "John McCulloch" is recorded as holding lands in Wigtown.
One of the notable McCullochs in history was Sir Humphrey McCulloch (c. 1470-1536), a Scottish diplomat and clergyman who served as the Lord Privy Seal of Scotland under King James V. He played a significant role in the negotiations that led to the marriage of James V to Princess Madeleine of France.
Another prominent figure was Benjamin McCulloch (1811-1862), a Texan soldier and officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was born in Tennessee and gained fame for his military exploits, particularly his victory at the Battle of Valverde in 1862, before being killed later that year at the Battle of Pea Ridge.
In the literary world, John McCulloch (1789-1864) was a Scottish geographer, statistician, and author who published numerous works on geography, economics, and history. His most notable work was "A Descriptive and Statistical Account of the British Empire" (1824).
The name McCulloch has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as McCulloch's Castle in Wigtownshire and the village of McCulloch Bridge in Kirkcudbrightshire, further emphasizing the family's historical ties to the region.
While variations in spelling, such as McCullough and McCullagh, exist, the McCulloch surname has maintained a strong connection to its Scottish heritage and has been carried by individuals of note throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcculloch
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcculloch, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcculloch 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 Mcculloch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 6,778
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 281
- Two or more races3.6% · 273
- Black or African American3.2% · 246
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcculloch
Mcculloch 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
#4,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,244
+223 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 2.79
Rank movement Down 225 places
2020
#4,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,666
-578 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 2.56
Rank movement Down 179 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,087 | 8,021 | 2.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,312 | 8,244 | 2.79 | +223 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 225 places |
| 2020 | #4,491 | 7,666 | 2.56 | -578 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 179 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 Mcculloch 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 | #4,312 | #4,491 | -4.2% |
| Count | 8,244 | 7,666 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.79 | 2.56 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcculloch bearers went from 8,244 to 7,666 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 179 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,312 to #4,491.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcculloch
FAQ
Mcculloch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcculloch?
Name Census estimates that about 8,791 living Americans carry the surname Mcculloch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,989 residents.
How common is Mcculloch?
Mcculloch ranks #4,491 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,666 people with the surname Mcculloch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,791), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mcculloch.
Has Mcculloch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcculloch went from 8,244 recorded bearers to 7,666. That is a decrease of 578 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,312 to #4,491.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcculloch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcculloch, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Mcculloch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (6,778 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcculloch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Mcculloch (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 Mcculloch mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cullach," meaning "son of the boar" or "son of Cullach." 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 Mcculloch (2.56 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 Americans have the surname Mcculloch?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.