Contents [hide]

McCauley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

McCauley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland
England

The clans of the Scottish/English Borderlands spawned many enduring Scottish names. McCauley comes from this Boernician area, and the name is derived from the son of Amalghaidh, (an old Irish personal name). The distinguished name McCauley 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 McCauley family

The surname McCauley 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 McCauley family

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

McCauley Spelling Variations

Since medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, and since there were no consistent rules for the translation of rules from Gaelic to English, spelling variations are extremely common in Boernician names of this vintage. McCauley has been spelled MacAuly, MacAwley, MacAuley, MacAullay, MacAulley, MacAwlay, MacCaulay, MacCawley, MacGawley, Magawley, Cauley, Caulay, McCamley and many more.

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

McCauley Ranking

In the United States, the name McCauley is the 1,431^st most popular surname with an estimated 22,383 people with that name. 1

Migration of the McCauley family to Ireland

Some of the McCauley 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.

McCauley migration to the United States +

Many of the Boernician-Scottish families who crossed the Atlantic settled along the eastern seaboard in communities that would become the backbone of the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. In the War of Independence, American families that remained loyal to the Crown moved north into Canada and became known as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestral culture of all of these proud Scottish families remains alive in North America in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name McCauley or a variant listed above:

McCauley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Alexander McCauley, who arrived in South Carolina in 1772 2

McCauley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James McCauley, aged 46, who landed in Louisiana in 1812 2
John McCauley, who landed in Maryland in 1821 2
Joseph McCauley, aged 35, who arrived in America in 1822 2
Jane McCauley, aged 55, who arrived in America in 1822 2
Mary McCauley, aged 26, who arrived in America in 1822 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McCauley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McCauley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

William McCauley, aged 28, a stonecutter, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Maria" from Belfast, Ireland
Henry McCauley, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Robert Burns" in 1834

McCauley migration to Australia +

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

McCauley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas McCauley, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Bucephalus"
Andrew McCauley, aged 38, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Melbourne"

McCauley 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:

McCauley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Martha Mccauley, (b. 1820), aged 42, Irish settler from Antrim, travelling from London aboard the ship "Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 25th September 1862 3
Mr. Henry Mccauley, (b. 1821), aged 41, Irish farm labourer from Antrim, travelling from London aboard the ship "Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 25th September 1862 3
Miss Margaret Mccauley, (b. 1853), aged 9, Irish settler from Antrim, travelling from London aboard the ship "Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 25th September 1862 3
Mr. William Henry Mccauley, (b. 1856), aged 6, Irish settler from Antrim, travelling from London aboard the ship "Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 25th September 1862 3
Miss Mary Mccauley, (b. 1858), aged 4, Irish settler from Antrim, travelling from London aboard the ship "Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 25th September 1862 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McCauley (post 1700) +

Robbie Doris McCauley (1942-2021), American playwright, director, performer and professor from Norfolk, Virginia, best known for her plays Sugar and Sally's Rape
Brigadier-General James Wayne McCauley (1900-1958), American Commanding General 32nd Air Division (1951-1953) 4
Barry McCauley (1950-2001), American operatic tenor, 1980 recipient of the Richard Tucker Award
Charles Stewart McCauley (1793-1869), American naval officer in the War of 1812
Dennis McCauley (b. 1985), American professional ice hockey player
Patrick F. "Pat" McCauley (1870-1917), American Major League Baseball player
Stephen McCauley (b. 1955), American author
Barbara McCauley, American romance writer, 2005 RITA Awards Best Novel winner
Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley (1754-1832), American hero of the Revolution for carrying water to soldiers at the Battle of Monmouth (June 28, 1778), who fought on her husband's stead when he was overcome with heat
Gordon McCauley (b. 1972), New Zealand five-time road cycling champion, 2006 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the McCauley family +

SS Caribou

Mr. Lloyd S. McCauley, British passenger who was Royal Army Alqonquin Regiment from Manitoulin Island, Ontario was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, he survived the sinking

The McCauley 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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2013, February 12) James McCauley. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/McCauley/James_Wayne/USA.html