Show ContentsCauley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Many variations of the name Cauley 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 Cauley family

The surname Cauley 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 Cauley family

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

Cauley Spelling Variations

Those scribes in Ireland during the Middle Ages recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in this era many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the Cauley family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including MacAulay, MacAwley, MacAuley, MacAullay, MacAulley, MacAwlay, MacCaulay, MacCawley, MacGawley, Magawley, Cauley, Caulay, McCamley and many more.

Early Notables of the Cauley family

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

Cauley Ranking

In the United States, the name Cauley is the 8,848th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3


Cauley migration to the United States +

During the 19th century thousands of impoverished Irish families made the long journey to British North America and the United States. These people were leaving a land that had become beset with poverty, lack of opportunity, and hunger. In North America, they hoped to find land, work, and political and religious freedoms. Although the majority of the immigrants that survived the long sea passage did make these discoveries, it was not without much perseverance and hard work: by the mid-19th century land suitable for agriculture was short supply, especially in British North America, in the east; the work available was generally low paying and physically taxing construction or factory work; and the English stereotypes concerning the Irish, although less frequent and vehement, were, nevertheless, present in the land of freedom, liberty, and equality for all men. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Research into passenger and immigration lists has brought forth evidence of the early members of the Cauley family in North America:

Cauley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Cauley, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 4
  • Thomas Cauley, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 4
  • Henry Cauley, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 4
  • A. H. Cauley, aged 38, who immigrated to America, in 1895
  • Bridget Cauley, aged 18, who landed in America, in 1897
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Cauley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • John William Cauley, aged 26, who settled in America, in 1904
  • Arthur William Cauley, aged 5, who immigrated to the United States, in 1907
  • Patrick J. Cauley, aged 17, who landed in America from Tubbercurry, Ireland, in 1914
  • John Cauley, aged 22, who immigrated to the United States, in 1919
  • Daniel Cauley, aged 18, who settled in America, in 1920
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cauley (post 1700) +

  • Cleon Cauley, American Acting Secretary of the Delaware Department of Transportation (2011-)
  • Ben Cauley (1947-2015), American trumpet player, vocalist, and founding member of the recording group, The Bar-Kays, sole survivor of the 1967 plane crash that killed Otis Redding and the other four members of the Bar-Kays
  • Jane A. Cauley, American Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and an Associate Dean for Research at the University of Pittsburgh
  • William "Bud" Cauley (b. 1990), American professional golfer
  • Tom Cauley, American politician, Village President of Hinsdale, Illinois; Elected 2009 5
  • Thomas H. Cauley, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Allegheny County 4th District; Elected 1960 5
  • Robert E. Cauley, American politician, American Independent Candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, 1970; American Independent Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives 22nd District, 1972 5
  • Frank Cauley, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Westchester County 5th District, 1928 5
  • E. R. Cauley, American politician, Mayor of Kingsville, Texas, 1955 5
  • Delia M. Cauley, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1928 5


  1. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  2. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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