Show ContentsMcAuliffe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name McAuliffe has undergone many variations in the time that has passed since its genesis. In Gaelic it appeared as Mac Amhlaoibh, which denotes a son of Auliffe or a son of Humphrey.

Early Origins of the McAuliffe family

The surname McAuliffe was first found in County Cork (Irish: Corcaigh) the ancient Kingdom of Deis Muin (Desmond), located on the southwest coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the McAuliffe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McAuliffe research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1720 is included under the topic Early McAuliffe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McAuliffe Spelling Variations

Lacking standardized spellings, scribes and church officials recorded people's name according to how they sounded. This practice often led to the misleading result of one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname McAuliffe are preserved in the archival documents of the period. The various spellings of the name that were found include MacAuliffe, MacCauliffe and others.

Early Notables of the McAuliffe family

More information is included under the topic Early McAuliffe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McAuliffe Ranking

In the United States, the name McAuliffe is the 8,272nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States McAuliffe migration to the United States +

Many Irish families boarded ships bound for North America in the middle of 19th century to escape the conditions of poverty and racial discrimination at that time. Although these immigrants often arrived in a destitute state, they went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. An inquiry into many immigration and passenger lists has revealed many early immigrants to North America bearing the McAuliffe family name:

McAuliffe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Denis McAuliffe, aged 28, who landed in New York, NY in 1849 2
  • John McAuliffe, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 2
  • Malachi McAuliffe, who landed in Arkansas in 1859 2
  • Eugene McAuliffe, who arrived in Arkansas in 1860 2

Canada McAuliffe migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McAuliffe Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • James McAuliffe, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1834
  • John McAuliffe, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1837 aboard the barque "Robert Watt" from Cork, Ireland
  • Mr. Denis McAuliffe, aged 45 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Bridgetown" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 3
  • Miss. H. McAuliffe, aged 1 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Champion" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 3
  • Miss. Helen McAuliffe, aged 16 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Saguenay" departing from the port of Cork, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia McAuliffe migration to Australia +

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

McAuliffe Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Mcauliffe, Irish carter who was convicted in County Kerry, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Brampton" on 8th November 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
  • Mr. Edward Mcauliffe, (b. 1812), aged 27, Irish soldier who was convicted in Kolkata, West Bengal, India for 7 years for striking an officer, transported aboard the "Eudora" on 4th June 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 5
  • Henry McAuliffe, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Hydaspes" 6
  • Patrick McAuliffe, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Sea Park"
  • Mary McAuliffe, aged 21, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Aliquis"
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand McAuliffe 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:

McAuliffe Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Elizabeth Mcauliffe, (b. 1834), aged 33, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Glenmark" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th November 1867 7
  • Mr. John Mcauliffe, (b. 1848), aged 27, Irish labourer from County Kerry travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 8
  • Mrs. Mary Mcauliffe, (b. 1849), aged 26, Irish settler from County Kerry travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 8
  • Mr. Cornelius Mcauliffe, (b. 1866), aged 9, Irish settler from County Kerry travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 8
  • Mr. Michael Mcauliffe, (b. 1869), aged 6, Irish settler from County Kerry travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 8
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McAuliffe (post 1700) +

  • Richard John "Dick" McAuliffe (1939-2016), American Major League Baseball shortstop and second baseman who played from 1960 to 1975
  • Jack McAuliffe (1866-1937), Irish-born, American boxer, nicknamed 'The Napolean of the Ring', inducted into the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995
  • Michael Francis McAuliffe (b. 1943), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church
  • Michael A. McAuliffe (b. 1941), American Brigadier General in the United States Air Force
  • General Anthony Clement McAuliffe (1898-1975), American Army general awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Distinguished Service Cross during World War II, best known for his single-word reply to a German surrender ultimatum: "Nuts!" 9
  • Terence Richard "Terry" McAuliffe (b. 1957), American political leader from the Democratic Party
  • J. C. McAuliffe, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Georgia, 1916 10
  • Eugene Vincent McAuliffe (1918-2000), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, 1975-76 10
  • Eileen McAuliffe, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Rhode Island, 2004 10
  • Daniel Matthew McAuliffe (1875-1964), American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Albion, Michigan, 1906-08; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1912 (alternate), 1916; Postmaster at Albion, Michigan, 1933-41 10
  • ... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 42)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Brampton
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eudora
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HYDASPES 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Hydaspes.htm
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  9. Anthony McAuliffe. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Anthony McAuliffe. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_McAuliffe
  10. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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