2000
#7,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,946
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Mcauley
Derived from the Gaelic "Mac Amhalghaidh," meaning "son of Amhalghaidh," a personal name meaning "like a prince."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,591 Americans carry the last name Mcauley. That puts it at #7,942 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,658 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcauley surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mcauley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 74,658
Census rank
#7,942
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,004 bearers of the surname Mcauley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7942nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcauley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcauley
The surname McAuley has its origins in Ireland, particularly in the northern part of the country. It is believed to have emerged sometime around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "Amhalghaidh" which is a personal name, likely meaning "servant of the rock" or "follower of the king."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. This manuscript mentions a "MacAuley" as early as the 14th century. The name was also found in various historical records from counties such as Armagh and Tyrone, where it was particularly prevalent.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the McAuley name was Felim McAuley, who was a renowned Irish bard and poet from County Tyrone. He was known for his works that celebrated Irish culture and history. Another noteworthy individual was Sir Auley McAuley, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries and was a prominent leader during the Nine Years' War in Ireland.
The spelling of the name has evolved over time, with variations such as MacAuley, McAwley, and McAughley appearing in different historical records. Some of these variations may have been influenced by regional dialects or the phonetic interpretation of the name by scribes or record-keepers.
In the 18th century, a distinguished member of the McAuley family was Richard McAuley, who was born in County Armagh in 1706. He was a prominent merchant and landowner, and his family played a significant role in the economic and social life of the region.
Another notable figure from the 19th century was Thomas McAuley, born in 1823 in County Tyrone. He was a renowned scholar and author who wrote extensively on Irish history and literature, making important contributions to the preservation of Irish cultural heritage.
As the McAuley name spread beyond Ireland, it was also associated with various place names, such as McAuley's Falls in County Antrim, which was named after a local landowner. The name has also been found in historical records from other parts of the British Isles, including Scotland and England, where Irish immigrants settled.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcauley
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcauley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcauley bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Mcauley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.4% · 3,338
- Black or African American8.5% · 341
- Two or more races3.9% · 158
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 120
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcauley
Mcauley appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#7,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,186
+240 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 141 places
2020
#7,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,004
-182 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,765 | 3,946 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,906 | 4,186 | 1.42 | +240 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 141 places |
| 2020 | #7,942 | 4,004 | 1.34 | -182 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 36 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Mcauley surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,906 | #7,942 | -0.5% |
| Count | 4,186 | 4,004 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.42 | 1.34 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcauley bearers went from 4,186 to 4,004 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,906 to #7,942.
FAQ
Mcauley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcauley?
Name Census estimates that about 4,591 living Americans carry the surname Mcauley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,658 residents.
How common is Mcauley?
Mcauley ranks #7,942 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,004 people with the surname Mcauley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,591), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mcauley.
Has Mcauley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcauley went from 4,186 recorded bearers to 4,004. That is a decrease of 182 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,906 to #7,942.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcauley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcauley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mcauley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.4% (3,338 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcauley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.4%), Black (8.5%), Two or More Races (3.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Mcauley (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Mcauley mean?
Derived from the Gaelic "Mac Amhalghaidh," meaning "son of Amhalghaidh," a personal name meaning "like a prince." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Mcauley (1.34 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Mcauley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.