Macaulay (surname)

Etymology

In some cases, the surnames are derived from the Scottish Gaelic MacAmhlaidh, or the Irish Gaelic Mac Amhalghaidh. These Gaelic surnames translate into English 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 Amhalghaidh (also spelt Amhalghadh) is an old Gaelic name whose origin and meaning are uncertain.

In other cases, the surnames are derived from the Scottish Gaelic MacAmhlaibh or MacAmhlaidh, or the Irish Mac Amhlaoibh. These surnames translate into English as "son of Amhlaibh"; "son of Amhladh" or "son of Amhlaidh"; and "son of Amhlaoibh". The names Amhlaibh, Amhladh, Amhlaidh, and Amhlaoibh are Gaelic derivatives of the Old Norse personal names Áleifr and Olaf or Óláfr.

Distribution

United States

In 1990, the United States Census Bureau 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 names), "MACAULAY" (including Macaulay and MacAulay) ranked 12,186th most common last name, and was borne by 0.001 percent of the population sample. "MCAULAY" (McAulay) was much less common; it ranked 35,241st most common last name, and was borne by 0.000 percent of the population sample. Within the 2000 United States census, "MACAULAY" was the 12,764th most common last name, with 2,219 occurrences. "MCAULAY" was the 33,528th most common last name, with only 642 occurrences. The table below shows data concerning racial-ethnic aspects of the surnames in the 2000 United States census (note that two fields have been suppressed by the United States Census Bureau for confidentiality reasons, since "MCAULAY" had fewer than 1,000 people).

Scotland

Macaulay, MacAulay, and McAulay 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.

People with the surnames

• List of people with surnames Macaulay, MacAulay or McAulay

References

References

1. (January 2000). "MacAulay Name Meaning, Family History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms".
2. (January 2000). "MacAulay Name Meaning, Family History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms".
3. Reaney, Percy Hilde. (2006). "A Dictionary of English Surnames". [[Routledge]].
4. (1923). "Mac Amhalghadha, Mac Amhalghaidh". Library Ireland (www.libraryireland.com).
5. "Learn about the family history of your surname". [[Ancestry.com]].
6. "Learn about the family history of your surname". [[Ancestry.com]].
7. "Genealogy Data: Frequently Occurring Surnames from Census 1990 – Names Files". [[United States Census Bureau]] (www.census.gov).
8. "Documentation and Methodology for Frequently Occurring Names in the U.S.". [[United States Census Bureau]] (www.census.gov).
9. "dist.all.last". [[United States Census Bureau]] (www.census.gov).
10. "Genealogy Data: Frequently Occurring Surnames from Census 2000". [[United States Census Bureau]] (www.census.gov).
11. "Demographic Aspects of Surnames from Census 2000". [[United States Census Bureau]] (www.census.gov).
12. "100 Most Common Surnames". [[General Register Office for Scotland]] (www.gro-scotland.gov.uk).
13. (2003). "Surnames in Scotland over the last 140 years". [[General Register Office for Scotland]] (www.gro-scotland.gov.uk).
14. (2003). "Surnames in Scotland over the last 140 years". [[General Register Office for Scotland]] (www.gro-scotland.gov.uk).