McCauley Surname Meaning & Origin
What the McCauley last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the McCauley last name
Meaning of the McCauley last name: son of Amhalghadh or Olaf. McCauley is an Irish surname with two Gaelic roots: Mac Amhalghaidh, a Westmeath family, and Mac Amhlaoibh, from the Norse first name Óláfr. The last name is common in Ulster and the midlands. Curiously, its Norse root makes it a cousin of Scottish MacAulay, a reminder of Viking settlement.
Arms associated with the McCauley name
Coats of arms associated with the McCauley surname follow Irish heraldry, each set out in a short blazon.
Get your full McCauley family history
This is only a glimpse of the McCauley story. The full McCauley history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted McCauley coat of arms. Get the full McCauley report.
McCauley name FAQ
What does the McCauley name mean?
Son of Amhalghadh or Olaf. Common variants include Macaulay, McAuley.
Where does the McCauley surname come from?
It originates in Ireland, and is also found in Northern Ireland, Scotland and the United States.
Is there a McCauley coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized McCauley coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).