Show ContentsMcCarley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the McCarley family

The surname McCarley was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say before the Norman Conquest in 1066, and their name in Gaelic was "MacThearlaich" meaning "the son of Charles." Hence we have McTarlych which is the old Gaelic which some Clan members still subscribe to.

Early History of the McCarley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCarley research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1538, 1613, 1638, 1674 and 1726 are included under the topic Early McCarley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCarley Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: MacCarley, MacCarly, Terleti, Thelycht, MacTherlycht, McKarlich, McTarlach, McCarlach, McKerlich, McHerlich, McCharles, McTarlich and many more.

Early Notables of the McCarley family

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

McCarley Ranking

In the United States, the name McCarley is the 7,889th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Ireland Migration of the McCarley family to Ireland

Some of the McCarley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States McCarley migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McCarley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • May McCarley, aged 18, who landed in New York in 1854 2
McCarley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • G. E. McCarley, who arrived in America, in 1905
  • Samuel McCarley, aged 21, who arrived in America from Ballymina, Ireland, in 1909
  • Theodore T McCarley, aged 23, who arrived in America from Oxford, England, in 1910
  • Annie McCarley, aged 38, who arrived in America, in 1913
  • John McCarley, aged 41, who arrived in America, in 1913
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada McCarley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McCarley Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Ellen McCarley, aged 30, who arrived in Canada, in 1916

Australia McCarley migration to Australia +

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

McCarley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name McCarley (post 1700) +

  • Mike McCarley, American broadcasting executive, President of Golf for the NBC Sports
  • Kyle McCarley, American three-time Behind the Voice Actors Award winning voice actor known for his work in video games and anime
  • Robert W. McCarley MD (1937-2017), American Chair and Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
  • Erin Elizabeth McCarley (b. 1979), American alternative music singer-songwriter from Garland, Texas


The McCarley 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: Virtus auget honores
Motto Translation: Virtue increases honour.


  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. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth


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