The McAuley surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,186 people carried this name — #7,906 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 70,400 people counted. That is up 6% from 3,946 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the McAuley surname

Northern Irish variant of McCauley.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McAuley» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 107 births for the McAuley name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 4,700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 58 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim and Donegal.”

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 90
Connacht 11
Leinster 6

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Scotland’s registers today

McAuley was recorded 46 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 565th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 64. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

91 families named McAuley, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 430 people lived in those households, 4.7 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: McAuley, McCalley, McCally, Maccauley, Maccauly, McCauley, McCaulley, McCauly, McCawley, McCawly, McColley, McColly, McCulley, Mcculley, McCully, Mecauley. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 32
North Carolina 23
Maryland 12
New Hampshire 6
New York 6
South Carolina 6
Virginia 3
Massachusetts 2
Maine 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 251 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

McAuley in American newspapers,
1858–1880.

Newspaper page from Holmes County Republican carrying the name McAuley
Holmes County Republican 1858-06-24
Newspaper page from Cleveland Morning Leader carrying the name McAuley
Cleveland Morning Leader 1858-06-14
Newspaper page from The New North-west carrying the name McAuley
The New North-west 1880-01-16

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

McAuley in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

9,329 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McAuley. The most, 2,115, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 3,382
Victoria 2,625
South Australia 1,631
Queensland 839
Western Australia 403
Tasmania 257
ACT (Canberra) 151
Northern Territory 13

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McAuley.

Who carried it

People named McAuley,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Catherine McAuley
    Catherine McAuley 1778–1841 · religious
  • James McAuley
    James McAuley 1917–1976 · literary critic
  • Andrew McAuley 1968–2007 · canoeist

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0.

In the public record

People named McAuley,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,284 records

1,284 records of the McAuley name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 400
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 276
  • Other U.S. records 608
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Arthur J. McAuley

    Born 1898 in California. Enlisted 1941 at Berkeley; driver from Alameda County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1951, buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Sarah McAuley

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Etruria from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 40; matron. From Belfast, Ireland; bound for Chicago.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Guy Thomas McAuley

    Born 1950; from Mobile, Alabama. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1970 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,284 records for McAuley in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia530 records

530 records of the McAuley name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 273
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 85
  • Other Australian records 172
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Frances McAuley

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Phoebe, sailing from Dublin in 1844. Native of Westmeath. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1847.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Catherine McAuley

    Arrived in Victoria in 1857 aboard the Escort, aged 33; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Donald E. F. McAuley

    Coppersmith of Oakleigh, Victoria; died 1960.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 530 records for McAuley in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada231 records

231 records of the McAuley name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 184
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 19
  • Other Canadian records 28
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Robt McAuley

    Came to Ontario in 1877 aboard the Peruvian, bound for London, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Margaret McAuley

    Died 1917 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record John McAuley

    Buried in 1935 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 231 records for McAuley in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

New Zealand23 records

23 records of the McAuley name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 13
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 10
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elenora McAuley

    Buried in 1888 at Tararu Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 81.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Carolyne McAuley

    Died 1983, aged 82; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Donald McAuley

    Buried in 1933 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 62.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 23 records for McAuley in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom20 records

20 records of the McAuley name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 13
  • Stirling Council burial records 6
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Robert McAuley

    Buried in 1898 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 70.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Charles H. McAuley

    Died 1919. Named in the roll of honour (1926).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. McAuley

    Royal West Kent Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 20 records for McAuley in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Ireland3 records

3 records of the McAuley name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Partick McAuley

    Died 1956, aged 29; buried at Killursa, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James McAuley

    Died 1958, aged 72; buried at Killursa, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary McAuley

    Died 1960, aged 65; buried at Killursa, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to McAuley.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McAuley is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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