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MacAuley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

MacAuley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland
England

MacAuley is a name that comes from the Boernicians of the Scottish/English Borderlands. It is derived from the son of Amalghaidh, (an old Irish personal name). The distinguished name MacAuley is derived from the Gaelic name MacAmhalghaidh and was generally found in Dumbartonshire. Alternatively, the name could have come from the Gaelic name MacAmhlaibh or MacAmhaidh, which means son of Amlaib and in this case, the name was originally derived from the Norse King Olafr. This latter branch was generally found in the Hebrides.

Early Origins of the MacAuley family

The surname MacAuley was first found in at Ardencaple, in Dumbartonshire. Ardencaple "cape of the horses," was the ancestral home of the Lairds of Ardencaple and is located on the shores of the Gare Loch, in the historical district of Lennox, county Dumbarton. They were one of the Clans of MacAlpine.

The history of the MacAulay Clan is particularly complex as there are two distinct branches, in addition to an infusion of MacAulays during the reign of Robert the Bruce. The name of Aulay, brother of the Earl of Lennox, is found on the Ragman Rolls, which confirms his pledge of allegiance to King Edward I of England. This branch entered into a bond of manrent with MacGregor of Glenstrae in 1591.

The second branch of this Clan is that of the MacAulays of the Isle of Lewis. These Clansmen claimed descent from Aula (Olaf the Black), who was a thirteenth-century king of the Isles. Their lands were traditional centered around Uig. This branch was probably related to the numerous MacAulays of Ross and Sutherland.

Finally, some members of a branch of the MacAulay Clann from Ireland were invited by Robert the Bruce to Scotland to help in his wars against the English. These last MacAulays may be ancient relatives to those of Ardincaple, Dumbartonshire. It was some while later that the MacAulays were first recognized as a Clan.

Early History of the MacAuley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacAuley research. Another 54 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1595, 1767 and 1890 are included under the topic Early MacAuley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacAuley Spelling Variations

Since medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, and since there were no consistent rules for the translation of rules from Gaelic to English, spelling variations are extremely common in Boernician names of this vintage. MacAuley has been spelled MacAuly, MacAwley, MacAuley, MacAullay, MacAulley, MacAwlay, MacCaulay, MacCawley, MacGawley, Magawley, Cauley, Caulay, McCamley and many more.

Early Notables of the MacAuley family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was the 'MacCawlis' who appear on the roll of Broken Clans in 1595. Their fortunes fell, the last of their lands of...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early MacAuley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the MacAuley family to Ireland

Some of the MacAuley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacAuley migration to the United States +

Many of the Boernician-Scottish families who crossed the Atlantic settled along the eastern seaboard in communities that would become the backbone of the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. In the War of Independence, American families that remained loyal to the Crown moved north into Canada and became known as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestral culture of all of these proud Scottish families remains alive in North America in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name MacAuley or a variant listed above:

MacAuley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Isaac Macauley, who arrived in America in 1806 1
James MacAuley, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 1
M C Macauley, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 1
Alexander, George, Henry, James, John, William MacAuley all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860
William Macauley, who arrived in Alaska in 1891 1

MacAuley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

MacAuley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Charles Macauley, (b. 1816), aged 25, Irish black smith from Antrim, Northern Ireland departing on 8th July 1841 from Greenock, Scotland aboard the ship "New York Packet" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 23rd October 1841 2
Mrs. Sarah Macauley, (b. 1819), aged 22, Irish farm servant from Antrim, Northern Ireland departing on 8th July 1841 from Greenock, Scotland aboard the ship "New York Packet" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 23rd October 1841 3
John Macauley, aged 22, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Melbourne"

MacAuley migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

MacAuley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Macauley, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd September 1860 4
James Macauley, aged 34, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Steinwarder" in 1864
Anna Macauley, aged 25, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Steinwarder" in 1864
B. A. Macauley, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Excelsior" in 1871 5

Contemporary Notables of the name MacAuley (post 1700) +

James Alvan Macauley (1872-1952), American president of Packard Motor Company from 1916 until 1939
Charles Cameron Macauley (1923-2007), American was a photographer, recipient of the American Indian Film Festival Blue Ribbon Award
Charles Edward "Ed" Macauley (b. 1928), American retired professional NBA basketball player
John C. Macauley, American politician, Representative from New York 8th District, 1888 6
James A. Macauley, American Republican politician, West Virginia State Treasurer, 1869-71 6
Herbert E. Macauley, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Rhode Island, 1944 6
George K. Macauley, American politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from New Britain, 1912 6
Frances I. Macauley, American politician, Representative from Pennsylvania 2nd District, 1922 6
Duncan Macauley, American politician, U.S. Consul in Manchester, 1859-61 6
Donald M. Macauley, American Republican politician, Candidate for Mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts, 1939 6
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The MacAuley Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Dulce Periculum
Motto Translation: Danger is sweet

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 18th November 2020). Retrieved from http://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5316/4_4782/New%20York%20Packet_23%20Oct%201841/4_478200095.jpg&No=125
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 18th November 2020). Retrieved from http://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5316/4_4782/New%20York%20Packet_23%20Oct%201841/4_478200095.jpg&No=126
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html