McCawley

''McCawley'' and ''MacCawley'' are surnames in the English language. The names are Anglicisations of several Gaelic-language surnames. There are several etymological origins for the names: all of which originated as patronyms in several Gaelic languages— Irish and Scottish Gaelic. 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 or grandfather. The surnames are not very common.

Etymology

In some cases, the surnames are derived from the Scottish Gaelic '' MacAmhalghaidh'' and Irish '' Mac Amhalghaidh''. Those Gaelic surnames translate into English as "son of ''Amhalghaidh''", which is a transcription of: . or "son of '' Amhalghadh''". The Gaelic surnames originated as patronyms; however, they are no longer used to refer to the actual names of the bearers' fathers. The personal name ''Amhalghaidh'' (also spelt ''Amhalghadh'') is an old Gaelic name, and its etymological 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 "McCawley" and "McCauley". These surnames translate into English as "son of ''Amhladh''" or "son of ''Amhlaidh''"; and "son of '' Amhlaoibh''". The Gaelic surnames originated as patronyms; 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 personal names ''Áleifr'' and '' Óláfr''...

According to John O'Hart, a late 19th-century genealogist, the surname ''MacCawley'' is an Anglicised form of the Irish ''Ó Cadhla'',, which is a transcription of: . which translates into English as "descendant of ''Cadhla''"., which is a transcription of: .

Distribution

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

The surnames are said to be rare in Ireland, and found generally in the Midlands., which cited: , for the surnames "MacCawley".

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, 90 in the province of Ulster, and 11 in the province of Connacht; the counties in which these 107 births were principally found were County Antrim and County Donegal.

United States

In 1990, the United States Census Bureau undertook a study of the 1990 United States Census, 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 names), "MCCAWLEY" (''McCawley'') ranked 20,101st most common last name, and was borne by 0.000 percent of the population sample. "MACCAWLEY" (''MacCawley'') did not even rank. Within the 2000 United States Census, "MCCAWLEY" was the 21,694th most common last name, with 1,119 occurrences. "MACCAWLEY" did not rank.. The table below shows data concerning racial-ethnic aspects of the surname in the 2000 United States Census (note that two fields has been suppressed by the United States Census Bureau for confidentiality reasons, since the surname is very rare)..

People with the surnames

;McCawley
*Charles Grymes McCawley, (1827–1891), American, a senior officer in the United States Marine Corps.
* Deborah McCawley, Canadian, a judge.
*James D. McCawley, (1938–1999), Scottish-born American, a linguist.
*Jim McCawley, (1942–1997), American, a screenwriter and television producer.
*Leon McCawley, (born 1973), British, a classical pianist.
* Rafe McCawley, character in ''Defiance''
* Thomas McCawley, (1881–1925) Australian, a judge

References

{{surname

English-language surnames
Patronymic surnames