Mccullough

The surname McCullough is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic Mac Lughaidh, meaning "son of Lughaidh." Lughaidh was a personal name derived from the Old Irish word lughaidh, meaning "poet" or "skilled in verse." The name is first recorded in Scotland in the 13th century.

The McCullough clan was historically centered in the counties of Antrim and Down in Northern Ireland. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was MacCulloch, which appeared in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to Edward I of England.

One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Sir John McCullough, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Another early figure was Hervey McCullough, a Scottish merchant who settled in Ulster, Ireland, in the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the McCullough clan played a significant role in the Plantation of Ulster, a planned process of colonizing Ulster with Protestant settlers from Scotland and England. During this period, many McCulloughs established themselves as landowners and became influential in the region.

One of the most famous bearers of the name was Benjamin McCullough (1811-1862), an American businessman and politician who served as a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Another notable figure was Thomas McCullough (1776-1846), an Irish-American printer and newspaper publisher who co-founded the North American Trust and Banking Company in New York City.

Other historically significant individuals with the surname McCullough include:

1. James McCullough (1819-1893), an Irish-American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Maryland.

2. Hugh McCullough (1808-1895), an American banker and statesman who served as the 27th United States Secretary of the Treasury.

3. John McCullough (1837-1885), an American actor and stage manager known for his performances in Shakespearean plays.

4. Colleen McCullough (1937-2015), an Australian author best known for her novel "The Thorn Birds."

5. David McCullough (1933-2022), an American author and historian who won two Pulitzer Prizes for his biographies of Presidents Harry S. Truman and John Adams.