McCollough
A Scottish and Irish surname meaning “son of Coll,” with Coll being a traditional Gaelic personal name.
The #7,774 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 72,323 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McCollough is an Anglicized surname built from Gaelic Mac, meaning “son of,” plus a personal name related to Coll. In Gaelic naming, this points to descent from a man called Coll rather than to a place or occupation. The spelling with -ough is an English spelling adaptation and does not reflect a separate root in modern English.
History
The name is found in both Scotland and Ireland, where Gaelic patronymics were often reshaped into many different English spellings. Forms like McCulloch, McCullough, and McCollough can overlap in records, especially after migration to North America. In the United States, the surname is relatively uncommon and often appears alongside other Mc- variants that share the same broad Gaelic background.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because English spelling was never standardized for Gaelic surnames, this same family name can appear in records under several closely related forms.