MacAuley
An Irish and Scottish surname from a Gaelic personal name, often understood as “son of Amhalghaidh.”
The #7,906 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 73,757 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally explained as coming from Gaelic Mac Amhalghaidh, meaning “son of Amhalghaidh,” an old personal name. Older writers also gave variant explanations for the second element, but the name is best treated as deriving from a native Gaelic given name rather than from an English word. The ending appears in many spellings because English scribes rendered Gaelic sounds in different ways.
History
The name is found in Irish and Scottish Gaelic usage and later appears in a wide range of anglicized spellings, including MacAuley, MacCauley, MacAwley, and related forms. Historical sources show it especially in Irish records, and the surname has long been established in Ulster as well as in Scotland. It was carried to North America in significant numbers by Irish and Scottish emigrants.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname has generated so many spellings that older reference books often listed several forms together as if they were one family group.
From the historical record
“Dr. Hume suggests quite a different origin, from Olav, the Scandinavian name, thus — ]\Iac Olav, Mac Aulif, Macauley. Ulster Journ. of Archreology, No. 21. MAC BETH. Gael. Mac-Bcatliao-. The son of Rebecca.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom