McCullum
A Scottish surname tied to the Gaelic clan name MacCallum, meaning “son of Columba” or “son of the dove.”
The #9,803 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 93,503 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McCullum is a spelling variant of MacCallum, from Gaelic Mac Chaluim, meaning “son of Columba” or more loosely “son of the dove.” The personal name Columba comes from Latin columba, “dove,” and was borne by St. Columba, the great missionary associated with Iona. In surname use, the name is therefore ultimately patronymic, referring to descent from a man called Callum/Malcolm/Columba depending on local form and spelling.
History
The name is especially associated with Argyll and the western Highlands of Scotland, where MacCallum is treated as an old clan name. Historical spelling often varied, and McCullum reflects the same surname without the full Mac- prefix. In English-language records the name has also overlapped with forms of Malcolm, which adds to the spelling and interpretation mix.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books sometimes treated MacCullum as a clan name rather than just a family name, reflecting the strong clan identity of the western Highlands.
From the historical record
“MacAdam. MacCullum. An old Argyllshire clan. MacDonald. One of the oldest and most important of Scottish clans. MacNeill. One of the most ancient of the "Western Highland”
— Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (county distribution)