Surname McCollough - Meaning and Origin

McCollough: What does the surname McCollough mean?

The surname McCollough is of Scottish and Irish origin and a variant of McCullough. This surname is derived from the Gaelic Mac Cu Uladh, where "Mac" means son of, "Cu" means hound, and "Uladh" denotes Ulster. Therefore, the whole name can be translated as "son of the hound of Ulster". The "hound" part of the name may refer to a warrior or a revered leader. The use of animals, especially hounds, in Celtic culture symbolize qualities such as loyalty, courage and vigilance. Geographic distribution of the McCollough surname is notably widespread in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the United States. The individuals carrying such last names today are usually descendants of Gaelic clans and could trace their lineage back to ancient times, reflecting a rich cultural and historical heritage.

McCollough: Where does the name McCollough come from?

The surname McCollough is of Scottish origin. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Colla", meaning hazel, plus the suffix "ough" indicating ‘descendant of’. Originally it's an anglicized form of the Gaelic surname "MacCú Uladh", meaning "son of Cú Uladh". This was a personal name meaning ‘hound of Ulster’. Thus, the surname indicates a familial or ancestral connection to the Ulster region of Ireland.

This name is most common in Scotland and Northern Ireland due to the historical and geographical connection. However, as a result of Scottish migration during the 18th and 19th centuries, the name has also spread to other countries, particularly the United States, Canada, and Australia. In the United States, it may sometimes appear under different spellings such as McCullough or McCulloch due to varying interpretations and anglicizations of the name, but it is still relatively common in areas with large populations of individuals of Scottish or Irish descent. Today, the surname McCollough can be found in communities around the world.

Variations of the surname McCollough

The surname McCollough is of Scottish origin, and can be traced back to the Gaelic name MacCullaich, which means son of Cullach. This name is derived from the Old Irish "cuallach," which can mean either wild boar or stranger.

McCollough has been spelled in various ways throughout history, due to inconsistent recording and linguistic evolution. The many alterations in the spelling of surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. Variants of the name include McCulloch, McCullock, McCullagh, McCullouch, McCullough, MacCulloch, MacCullock, MacCullagh, MacCullouch, MacCullough and many more.

As for the surname McCollough, it may also be an anglicized version of the name MacCulloch from Scotland or derived from Irish surnames of similar phonetic sounding names but different spelling such as Mac Culloch, which is of Irish origin. In both names, the "Mac" or "Mc" element means "son of," so these surnames initially denoted a son of a man called Cullach, Culloch, or something similar.

Furthermore, these names may have regional variants based on geographical distribution across Scotland and Ireland. So it wouldn't be unusual to find distinct yet related surnames elsewhere.

Famous people with the name McCollough

• Cindy McCollough: professional golfer, two-time Solheim Cup winner
• Brian McCollough: co-founder of the NCSA Mosaic web browser
• Kelly McCollough: award-winning novelist
• Elizabeth McCollough: American photographer
• Shevawn McCollough: co-star of the Netflix series Unsolved Mysteries
• Bill McCollough: founder of the software engineering company Greenlight Technologies
• Mark McCollough: professional tennis player
• Maria McCollough: award-winning photographer and director
• Boyd McCollough: award-winning country music artist
• Richard McCollough: former Member of the US House of Representatives

Other surnames

McCollogh