McAuley (surname)
Encyclopedia
McAuley, MacAuley, and Macauley are surnames in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

. There are several etymological origins for the names: all of which originated as patronyms in several Gaelic languages—Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...

 and Scottish Gaelic. Although the English-language surnames are ultimately derived from Gaelic patronyms, the English-language surnames, and the modern Gaelic-language forms do not refer to the actual name of the bearer's father. The English-language surnames are generally popular in certain parts of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

—both in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. In the United States of America, the surnames are not very common, and McAuley is a much more common surname than MacAuley and Macauley combined.

Etymology

In some cases, the surnames are derived from the Scottish Gaelic MacAmhalghaidh, and Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...

 Mac Amhalghaidh
Mac Amhalghaidh
Mac Amhalghaidh is masculine surname in the Irish language. The name translates into English as "son of Amhalghaidh". The surname originated as a patronym, however it no longer refers to the actual name of the bearer's father. The form of the surname for unmarried females is Nic Amhalghaidh...

. These Gaelic surnames translates into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 as "son of Amhalghaidh" or "son of Amhalghadh". The Gaelic surnames originated as a patronyms, however they no longer refer to the actual names of the bearer's father's. The personal name
Personal name
A personal name is the proper name identifying an individual person, and today usually comprises a given name bestowed at birth or at a young age plus a surname. It is nearly universal for a human to have a name; except in rare cases, for example feral children growing up in isolation, or infants...

 Amhalghaidh (also spelt Amhalghadh) is an old Gaelic name, and it's etymological origin and meaning are uncertain.

In other cases, the surnames are derived from the Scottish Gaelic MacAmhlaibh or MacAmhlaidh, or the Irish Mac Amhlaoibh
Mac Amhlaoibh
Mac Amhlaoibh is masculine surname in the Irish language. The name translates into English as "son of Amhlaoibh". The surname originated as a patronym, however it no longer refers to the actual name of the bearer's father. The form of the surname for unmarried females is Nic Amhlaoibh...

. These surnames translate into English as "son of Amhlaibh"; "son of Amhladh" or "son of Amhlaidh"; and "son of Amhlaoibh". The surnames originated as a patronyms, however they no longer refer to the actual name of the bearer's father. The names Amhlaibh, Amhladh, Amhlaidh, and Amhlaoibh are Gaelic derivatives of the Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

 personal names Áleifr and Óláfr.

Ireland (including the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland)

In Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, the surnames are very common in the province
Provinces of Ireland
Ireland has historically been divided into four provinces: Leinster, Ulster, Munster and Connacht. The Irish word for this territorial division, cúige, literally meaning "fifth part", indicates that there were once five; the fifth province, Meath, was incorporated into Leinster, with parts going to...

 of Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...

; they are also common in Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

.

United States of America

In 1990, the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

 undertook a study of the 1990 United States Census, and released a sample of data concerning the most common names. According to this sample of 6.3 million people (who had 88,799 unique last name
Last Name
"Last Name" is the title of a song composed by country singer Carrie Underwood, Hillary Lindsey and Luke Laird. It is the third single from Underwood's second studio album, Carnival Ride. It was released in the United States on April 7, 2008, by which point the song had already charted...

s), "MACAULEY" (including MacAuley and Macauley) ranked 20,117th most common last name, and was borne by 0.000 percent of the population sample. "MCAULEY" (McAuley) was much more common; it ranked 7,139th most common last name, and was borne by 0.002 percent of the population sample. Within the 2000 United States Census, "MACAULEY" was the 15,676th most common last name, with 1,711 occurrences. "MCAULEY" was the 7,765th most common last name, with 3,946 occurrences. The table below shows data concerning racial-ethnic aspects of the surnames in the 2000 United States Census.
Name Percent White only Percent Black only Percent Asian and Pacific Islander only Percent American Indian and Alaskan Native only Percent Two or more races Percent Hispanic
MACAULEY
MCAULEY

Scotland

McAuley, MacAuley, and Macauley were not amongst the 100 most common surnames recorded in birth, death, and marriage registers in Scotland, in 1995. None of the surnames ranked amongst the 100 most common surnames recorded in birth, death, and marriage registrations in the combined years of 1999, 2000, and 2001. None of the surnames ranked amongst the most common surnames recorded in Scotland, in the United Kingdom Census 1901
United Kingdom Census 1901
A nationwide census was conducted in England and Wales on 31 March 1901. It contains records for 32 million people and 6 million houses, It covers the whole of England and Wales, with the exception of parts of Deal in Kent. Separate censuses were held in Scotland and Ireland...

.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK