Show ContentsMcCauliff History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of McCauliff

What does the name McCauliff mean?

The name McCauliff 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 McCauliff family

The surname McCauliff 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 McCauliff family

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

McCauliff Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. The standardized literary languages of today were not yet reached the general citizenry. Research into the name McCauliff revealed spelling variations, including MacAuliffe, MacCauliffe and others.

Early Notables of the McCauliff family

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


McCauliff migration to the United States +

Irish families fled the English-colonized Ireland in record numbers during the 19th century for North America. Many of those destitute families died from disease during, and even shortly after, the long journey. Although those that immigrated before the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s often were granted a tract of land, those that arrived later were generally accommodated in urban centers or in work camps. Those in the urban centers would labor in the manufacturing sector, whereas those in work camps would to build critical infrastructures such as bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Regardless of when these Irish immigrants came to North America, they were critical for the rapid development of the young nations of the United States and Canada. Early immigration and passenger lists have recorded many early immigrants bearing the name of McCauliff:

McCauliff Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William McCauliff, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 1
  • Jeremiah McCauliff, who arrived in Mississippi in 1860 1

McCauliff migration to Canada +

McCauliff Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • John McCauliff, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1836


  1. 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)


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