McCauley (surname)
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''McCauley'' and ''MacCauley'' are
surnames In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several giv ...
in the
English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...
. There are several
etymologically Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...
unrelated origins for the names: all of which originated as
patronym A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (more specifically an avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic. Patronymics are used, ...
s in several
Gaelic languages The Goidelic ( ) or Gaelic languages (; ; ) form one of the two groups of Insular Celtic languages, the other being the Brittonic languages. Goidelic languages historically formed a dialect continuum stretching from Ireland through the Isle o ...
Irish and
Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...
. Although the English-language surnames are ultimately derived from Gaelic patronyms, the English-language surnames, and the modern Gaelic-language forms do not refer to the actual name of the bearer's father. The Irish McCauley's originated in
County Westmeath County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...
(Irish: An Iarmhí) in the
Irish Midlands The Midland Region (coded IE063) is a Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, NUTS Level III NUTS 3 statistical regions of the Republic of Ireland, statistical region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It consists of the territory of the C ...
, province of
Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...
, where at one time the area which is now
Ballyloughloe Ballyloughloe () is a civil parish in County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located about west–south–west of Mullingar. Ballyloughloe is one of 4 civil parishes in the barony of Clonlonan in the province of Leinster. The civil parish covers . ...
was once called "McGawley's Country, the
Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
McCauleys are partly descended from the Irish McCauleys as the Irish moved to
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
offered land by
Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against Kingdom of Eng ...
". In
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, it can be also a variation of Mulcahy. The English-language surnames are generally popular in certain parts of Ireland—both in the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
and
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
. According to census records in the United States of America, "MCCAULEY" (''McCauley'') is a somewhat common surname, although "MACCAULEY" (''MacCauley'') is extremely rare.


Etymology

In some cases, the surnames are derived from the
Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...
'' MacAmhalghaidh'', and Irish '' Mac Amhalghaidh''.. These
Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...
surnames translates into English as "son of '' Amhalghaidh''", which is a transcription of: . or "son of '' Amhalghadh''". The Gaelic surnames originated as a
patronym A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (more specifically an avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic. Patronymics are used, ...
s, however they are no longer used to refer to the actual names of the bearers' fathers. The
personal name A personal name, full name or prosoponym (from Ancient Greek ''prósōpon'' – person, and ''onoma'' –name) is the set of names by which an individual person or animal is known. When taken together as a word-group, they all relate to that on ...
''Amhalghaidh'' (also spelt ''Amhalghadh'') is an old
Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...
name, and its
etymological Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...
origin and meaning are uncertain. In other cases, the surnames are derived from the Scottish Gaelic '' MacAmhlaidh'', or the Irish '' Mac Amhlaoibh''., which cited: , for the surnames "MacCauley" and "McCauley". These surnames translate into English as "son of ''
Amhladh Aulay is a Scottish masculine given name. It is an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic , , , and . The standard Irish Gaelic form of these names is ''Amhlaoibh'' (, ); which can be Anglicised as ''Auliffe'' and ''Humphrey''. The Old Irish persona ...
''" or "son of ''
Amhlaidh Aulay is a Scottish masculine given name. It is an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic , , , and . The standard Irish Gaelic form of these names is ''Amhlaoibh'' (, ); which can be Anglicised as ''Auliffe'' and ''Humphrey''. The Old Irish persona ...
''"; and "son of ''
Amhlaoibh Aulay is a Scottish masculine given name. It is an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic , , , and . The standard Irish Gaelic form of these names is ''Amhlaoibh'' (, ); which can be Anglicised as ''Auliffe'' and ''Humphrey''. The Old Irish persona ...
''". The Gaelic surnames originated as a
patronym A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (more specifically an avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic. Patronymics are used, ...
s, however they are no longer used to refer to the actual names of the bearers' fathers. The names ''Amhladh'', ''Amhlaidh'', and ''Amhlaoibh'' are Gaelic derivatives of the
Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
personal names ''Áleifr'' and ''
Óláfr Olaf or Olav (, , or British ; ) is a Dutch, Polish, Scandinavian and German given name. It is presumably of Proto-Norse origin, reconstructed as ''*Anu-laibaz'', from ''anu'' "ancestor, grand-father" and ''laibaz'' "heirloom, descendant". Old Eng ...
''...


Distribution, popularity


Ireland (including the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland)

In Ireland, the surnames are generally popular in
County Londonderry County Londonderry (Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry (), is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, count ...
, in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, and the
province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
. It is also found in numbers in
County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim, County Leitr ...
,
County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...
, and
County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...
—all in the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
., which cited: , for the surname "MacCauley". According to the General Register Office in Ireland, there were 30 ''McCauley'' births recorded in 1890, and there were 49 for the surname '' McAuley''. When the numbers for these names were combined, including certain spelling variations, the data showed that there were 107 total births in Ireland—6 of which were in the province of
Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...
, 90 in the province of Ulster, and 11 in the province of
Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
; the counties in which these 107 births were principally found were
County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...
and
County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...
. The similarly spelt surname '' McAuliffe'' had 39 births, and 40 in total, when combining certain spelling variations; all of these 40 were recorded in the province of
Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...
, and 29 of these in
County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...
.


United States

In 1990, the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
undertook a study of the
1990 United States census The 1990 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 248,709,873, an increase of 9.8 percent over the 226,545,805 persons enumerated during the 1980 census. Approximatel ...
, and released a sample of data concerning the most common names. According to this sample of 6.3 million people (who had 88,799 unique
last name In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...
s), "MCCAULEY" ranked 1,431st most common last name, and was borne by 0.009 percent of the population sample. "MACCAULEY" was much less common; it ranked 70,537th most common last name, and was borne by 0.000 percent of the population sample. Within the 2000 United States census, "MCCAULEY" was the 1,360th most common last name, with 23,926 occurrences. "MACCAULEY" did not rank amongst the top 151,671 last names.. The table below shows the data concerning racial-ethnic aspects of the surnames in the 2000 United States census.


Scotland

''McCauley'' and ''MacCauley'' were amongst the 100 most common surnames recorded in birth, death, and marriage registers in Scotland, in 1995.. Neither surname ranked amongst the 100 most common surnames recorded in birth, death, and marriage registrations in the combined years of 1999, 2000, and 2001., and see also: . Neither surname ranked amongst the most common surnames recorded in Scotland, in the
United Kingdom Census 1901 The United Kingdom Census 1901 was the 11th nationwide census conducted in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and was done on 31 March 1901 "relating to the persons returned as living at midnight on Sunday, March 31st". The total pop ...
., and see also: .


People with the surnames

*
List of people with the surnames MacCauley and McCauley List of people with the surnames '' MacCauley'' and '' McCauley'': *Alyn McCauley (born 1977), Canadian professional ice hockey player * Barbara McCauley, American romance novelist * Clark McCauley (born 1943), psychologist * Dan McCauley (1936 ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mccauley Surnames English-language surnames Surnames of Irish origin Surnames of Scottish origin Anglicised Irish-language surnames Anglicised Scottish Gaelic-language surnames Patronymic surnames