2000
#10,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,827
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Mccullum
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Coluim," meaning "son of Colum" (Colum being a personal name).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,382 Americans carry the last name Mccullum. That puts it at #10,391 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,347 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccullum 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 Mccullum with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 101,347
Census rank
#10,391
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,949 bearers of the surname Mccullum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10391st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccullum, the largest self-reported group is Black at 66.7%. The next largest groups are White (24.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccullum
The surname McCullum has its origins in Scotland and dates back to the 12th century. It is a Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic name 'Mac Cullóch', which means 'son of the boar'. The name likely originated in the region of Wigtownshire, where a powerful family bearing the name held lands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the McCullum name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name is listed as 'M'Culloch' in this document, reflecting the older spelling variation.
In the 16th century, the McCullums were closely associated with the town of Drummore in Wigtownshire. John McCullum, born around 1520, was a prominent figure in the area and served as the Baillie of Drummore.
The McCullum name has also been linked to several notable figures throughout history. Sir Godfrey McCulloch (1575-1635) was a Scottish soldier and colonist who played a significant role in the establishment of the Plantation of Ulster in Ireland. Another notable bearer of the name was Horatio McCulloch (1805-1867), a renowned Scottish landscape painter known for his depictions of the Scottish Highlands.
Other notable McCullums include:
1. Robert McCullum (1810-1862), a Scottish-born merchant and politician in Nova Scotia, Canada.
2. John McCullum (1837-1920), a Scottish-born Australian politician and member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly.
3. Andrew McCullum (1855-1925), a Scottish-born Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales.
4. Hugh McCullum (1885-1944), a Scottish-born Australian politician and member of the Australian House of Representatives.
5. Brendon McCullum (born 1981), a former New Zealand cricketer and captain of the national team.
The McCullum surname has evolved over time, with various spellings such as McCullock, McCulloch, and McCullough emerging in different regions. However, the name's Scottish origins and connection to the Gaelic 'Mac Cullóch' have remained consistent throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccullum
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccullum, the largest self-reported group is Black at 66.7%. The next largest groups are White (24.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccullum 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 Mccullum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American66.7% · 1,968
- White24.8% · 730
- Two or more races4.4% · 129
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 91
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccullum
Mccullum 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
#9,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,302
+475 bearers (+16.8%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Up 635 places
2020
#10,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,949
-353 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 588 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,438 | 2,827 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,803 | 3,302 | 1.12 | +475 bearers (+16.8%) | Up 635 places |
| 2020 | #10,391 | 2,949 | 0.99 | -353 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 588 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 Mccullum 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 | #9,803 | #10,391 | -6.0% |
| Count | 3,302 | 2,949 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 0.99 | -11.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccullum bearers went from 3,302 to 2,949 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 588 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,803 to #10,391.
FAQ
Mccullum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccullum?
Name Census estimates that about 3,382 living Americans carry the surname Mccullum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,347 residents.
How common is Mccullum?
Mccullum ranks #10,391 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,949 people with the surname Mccullum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,382), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mccullum.
Has Mccullum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccullum went from 3,302 recorded bearers to 2,949. That is a decrease of 353 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,803 to #10,391.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccullum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccullum, the largest self-reported group is Black at 66.7%. The next largest groups are White (24.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mccullum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.7% (1,968 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccullum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (66.7%), White (24.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Mccullum (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 Mccullum mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Coluim," meaning "son of Colum" (Colum being a personal name). 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 Mccullum (0.99 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 Mccullum?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.