MacCauley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

Many variations of the name MacCauley have evolved since the time of its initial creation. In Gaelic it appeared as Mac Amhalghaidh or Mac Amhlaoibh. The former name denotes a son of Auley, while the later denotes a son of Auliffe or a son of Humphrey. They claim descent through the Heremon line of Irish kings. 1

Early Origins of the MacCauley family

The surname MacCauley was first found in county Westmeath (Irish: An Iarmhí) in the Irish Midlands, province of Leinster, where at one time the area which is now Ballyloughnoe was once called "McGawley's Country." There is another sept named Mac Amhlaoibh in Gaelic which were a branch of the MacGuires and mainly found in County Fermanagh. This branch gave their name to Clanawley. 2

Early History of the MacCauley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacCauley research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1787 and 1841 are included under the topic Early MacCauley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacCauley Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, guided scribes and church officials when recording names during the Middle Ages. This practice often resulted in one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname MacCauley are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include MacAulay, MacAwley, MacAuley, MacAullay, MacAulley, MacAwlay, MacCaulay, MacCawley, MacGawley, Magawley, Cauley, Caulay, McCamley and many more.

Early Notables of the MacCauley family

Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early MacCauley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacCauley migration to the United States +

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name MacCauley or a variant listed above:

MacCauley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James MacCauley who landed in Charles Town in 1772 with his wife

MacCauley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Eliza MacCauley, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1816 3
Elizabeth MacCauley, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1816 3
Robert MacCauley, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1816 3
Alexander, Daniel, Denis, George, Henry, Hugh, James, John, Michael, Patrick, Robert Thomas and William MacCauley who all, who settled in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860

Contemporary Notables of the name MacCauley (post 1700) +

Air Marshall Sir John MacCauley,
Lincoln MacCauley Alexander PC CC OOnt CD QC (1922-2012), first black Canadian Member of Parliament, first black cabinet minister - Minister of Labour of Canada, first black lieutenant governor - 24th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (1985 to 1991)

Citations +

O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
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)