MacColl is a Scottish surname shared by several notable people:
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MacColl is also apparently an uncommon male Scottish given name, perhaps meaning "Son of Coll" and spelled without CamelCase, i.e. as "Maccoll".
Origin and Clan MacColl
The surname 'MacColl' may have its origin in a Scottish clan by the name of Clan MacColl, which had a historical association with the sea loch Loch Fyne, located in the modern day unitary council area of Argyll and Bute. Clan MacColl may be a branch of Clan Donald (MacDonald), albeit a small one, based on several lines of evidence including a shared badge (sprig of heather). In the year 1602, Clan MacColl lost most of their military force in a battle with Clan MacPherson.
Additional lines of MacColls no doubt exist. For instance, a new line was made possible in 1940's England when James Henry Miller changed his name to Ewan MacColl. This new line was established with the birth of his children in the 1950s and passage to a third generation through (at least) children of Kirsty MacColl.
Distribution
According to United States Census data from 1840, 1880 and 1920, the MacColl surname was not recorded as present in the United States in 1840, was found only in New York by 1880, and had spread, albeit thinly, to the West Coast by 1920. Meanwhile, according to 1891 census date from England and Wales, MacColls were found in five counties in the north and east of England, with the greatest number identified in Lancashire and London.