Find out how popular the last name McAuliffe is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named McAuliffe.

McAuliffe, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the McAuliffe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McAuliffe in America

McAuliffe is the 5996th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McAuliffe surname appeared 5,733 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname McAuliffe.

We can also compare 2010 data for McAuliffe to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name McAuliffe

The surname McAuliffe is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name Mac Amhalghaidh, which means "son of Amhalghaidh" or "son of the devoted one". This name is believed to have originated in the province of Munster, particularly in the counties of Cork and Kerry.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, which date back to the 12th century. In these annals, the name appears as "Mac Amhalghaidh" and is associated with the Uí Echach Muman, a prominent Irish dynasty.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name McAuliffe is found in the Red Book of Ormond, a 14th-century manuscript that contains records of landholdings and grants in County Tipperary. This document mentions a "Gillemor Mac Awlef" in 1337.

In the 16th century, the name McAuliffe is recorded in various records and documents, including the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns and the Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters.

Notable individuals with the surname McAuliffe throughout history include:

1. John McAuliffe (c. 1570-1649), an Irish Catholic priest and author, known for his work "The Pious Miscellany" published in 1644.

2. Mary McAuliffe (1795-1878), an Irish revolutionary and activist who participated in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

3. Jeremiah McAuliffe (1837-1917), an Irish-American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.

4. Michael McAuliffe (1869-1943), an Irish-American labor leader and politician who served as the Secretary of Labor under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

5. Anthony C. McAuliffe (1898-1975), a highly decorated American military officer who famously responded "Nuts!" to a German surrender demand during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.

The surname McAuliffe has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Ballymacauliffe and Glenacauliffe, which are derived from the Irish Gaelic "Baile Mhic Amhalghaidh" and "Gleann Mhic Amhalghaidh," respectively, meaning "the town/valley of the son of Amhalghaidh."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McAuliffe

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname McAuliffe.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for McAuliffe was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of McAuliffe has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name McAuliffe was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of McAuliffe, please contact us.

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