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Irish surname

McAuliffe: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Mac Amhlaoibh · 'son of Amhlaoibh' (an Irish form of the Norse Olaf)

Woulfe (1923) gives MacAuliffe as an anglicised form of Mac Amhlaoibh, 'son of Amhlaoibh', an Irish form of the Norse Olaf. The Co. Cork family of that name was a branch of the MacCarthys, whose head resided at Castle MacAuliffe near Newmarket. In 1890 Ireland's birth indexes held 40 entries for McAuliffe including spelling varieties (39 spelled McAuliffe), all in Munster, 29 of them in Cork.

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Coat of arms associated with the McAuliffe surname
Irish formMac Amhlaoibh
Meaning'son of Amhlaoibh' (an Irish form of the Norse Olaf)
CountiesCork
Other spellings2

Origin of the McAuliffe name

Woulfe: Mac Amhlaoibh, anglicised MacAuliffe, of Co. Cork, was a branch of the MacCarthys. The head of the family resided at Castle MacAuliffe, near Newmarket, and his territory comprised the district between Newmarket and the boundaries of the counties of Limerick and Kerry.[1]

  1. 1535Four Masters: Mac Auliffe gained a great battle; the Lord of Claenglais slain.[5]
  2. 1583Four Masters: Donough Bane, son of Mac Auliffe, and his brother's son Teige slew each other.[6]
  3. 1602Four Masters: O'Sullivan reached 'the borders of the territories of O'Keeffe and Mac Auliffe'.[7]
  4. 1690'MAC AULIFFE' appears in Sir James Terry's list of Irish septs.[3]
  5. 189040 birth entries incl. spelling varieties (39 spelled McAuliffe); 29 in Cork.[2][4]

Where in Ireland

Co. CorkCastle MacAuliffe near Newmarket; 29 of the 40 McAuliffe birth entries of 1890 were in Cork.[1][2]

Other spellings

MacAuliffe · MacCauliffe[1]

Scottish connection

Woulfe names a third well-known family of Mac Amhlaoibh: 'Mac Amhlaoibh, anglicised MacAulay, of Scotland. The chief seat of this family was at Ardincaple, in Dumbartonshire. A branch of the family settled in Co. Antrim.'[1]

The McAuliffe coat of arms

'MAC AULIFFE' is printed in the 'List of Names of Irish Septs as given in the Book of Arms, compiled by Sir James Terry, Athlone Herald (1690)', as reproduced by Matheson. The list gives sept names only; it does not describe any arms, and it does not mean that everyone named McAuliffe is entitled to a coat of arms.[3]

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the McAuliffe surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

McAuliffe crest gifts

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McAuliffe surname: questions

What does the surname McAuliffe mean?

Woulfe gives MacAuliffe as a form of Mac Amhlaoibh, 'son of Amhlaoibh', and says Amhlaoibh is an Irish form of the Norse name Olaf.[1]

Where in Ireland is the McAuliffe name from?

Woulfe places the MacAuliffes in Co. Cork, where the head of the family resided at Castle MacAuliffe near Newmarket. In 1890 all 40 entries for McAuliffe, including spelling varieties (39 spelled McAuliffe), were in Munster, 29 of them in Cork.[1][2][4]

Are the McAuliffes related to the MacCarthys?

Woulfe describes the Co. Cork Mac Amhlaoibh (MacAuliffe) family as a branch of the MacCarthys.[1]

Is McAuliffe the same name as MacAulay?

Woulfe gives both as anglicised forms of the Irish Mac Amhlaoibh, and names three well-known families of that name: MacAuliffe of Co. Cork, a branch of the MacCarthys; Mac Amhlaoibh of Fermanagh, a branch of the Maguires; and Mac Amhlaoibh, anglicised MacAulay, of Scotland, with its chief seat at Ardincaple.[1]

Sources

  1. Mac Amhlaoibh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/maca/mac-amhlaoibh.php
  2. McAuliffe — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/mcauliffe.php
  3. List of Names of Irish Septs (Terry, 1690) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/irish-septs.php
  4. Table Explanation — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/table-explanation.php
  5. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1535 (part 4) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005E/text004.html
  6. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1583 (part 9) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005E/text009.html
  7. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1602 (part 14) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005F/text014.html

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).