McCalla History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland
England

The ancestors of the families to use the name McCalla lived among the Boernicians of the Scottish/English Borderlands. The name comes from the son of Amalghaidh, (an old Irish personal name). The distinguished name McCalla 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 McCalla family

The surname McCalla 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 McCalla family

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

McCalla Spelling Variations

Before the printing press and the first dictionaries appeared, names and other words were often spelled differently every time they were written. McCalla has appeared under the variations MacAuly, MacAwley, MacAuley, MacAullay, MacAulley, MacAwlay, MacCaulay, MacCawley, MacGawley, Magawley, Cauley, Caulay, McCamley and many more.

Early Notables of the McCalla 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 McCalla Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCalla Ranking

In the United States, the name McCalla is the 7,956^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the McCalla family to Ireland

Some of the McCalla 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.

McCalla migration to the United States +

The Scots who crossed the Atlantic were often on the run from poverty as well as persecution. They brought little with them, and often had nothing of their home country to hand down to their children. In the 20th century, Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations have helped the ancestors of Boernician Scots to recover their lost national legacy. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name McCalla were among those contributors:

McCalla Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John McCalla, aged 22, who arrived in New York in 1812 2

McCalla Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

William Mc Calla, aged 25, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Royal George" from Liverpool, England 3
Lucy I. M. McCalla, aged 24, originally from Chichester, Jamaica, West Ind., who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Santa Marta" from Kingston, Jamaica 3
Annie McCalla, aged 21, originally from Kingston, Jamaica, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Caldas" from Kingston, Jamaica 3
Jemima Mc Calla, aged 23, arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "America" from Southampton, England 3
Samuel John McCalla, aged 17, originally from Belfast, Ireland, who arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Columbia" from Londonderry, Ireland 3

Contemporary Notables of the name McCalla (post 1700) +

Nellie Elizabeth "Irish" McCalla (1928-2002), American actress and artist
Rear Admiral Bowman H. McCalla (1844-1910), United States Navy officer noted for his roles in the Spanish-American War and putting down the Boxer Rebellion
William McCalla (1814-1849), Irish botanist
Noel McCalla (b. 1956), British rock singer, lead vocalist for the rock group Manfred Mann's Earth Band from 1991 until September 2009

The McCalla 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 +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result