McCauley
An Irish and Scottish surname from Mac Amhlaoibh, meaning “son of Aulay” or “son of Olaf.”
The #1,442 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 12,478 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McCauley is an Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Amhlaoibh, a patronymic meaning “son of Amhlaoibh.” The personal name Amhlaoibh is the Gaelic form of Old Norse Óláfr, usually interpreted as “ancestor’s descendant” or “heirloom descendant.” In practice, the surname could appear in several spellings, including MacAulay, MacAuley, McCauley, McCauly, and McCawley.
History
The surname is found in both Ireland and Scotland, especially in areas shaped by Gaelic-Norse naming traditions. Historical sources commonly group McCauley with MacAulay and related spellings as the same underlying name. In North America, the surname was further standardized into the Mc- spelling now most familiar to English readers.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older sources often treated McCauley, MacAulay, and Cawley as related spellings of one Gaelic surname family.
From the historical record
“tTlAC ATiiAl5AX)A, MacAulay, MacAuley, MacCauley, Mac Cowley, Cawley, etc. TTlAC Ambfoif, MacAmbrose, MacCambridge.”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames