Given name & surname · also Irish
McCauley
“the son of righteousness”
McCauley is a variant of Macauley. One interpretation is “the son of righteousness.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
McCauley is a variant of Macauley. One interpretation is “the son of righteousness.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
McCauley comes from Irish, and ultimately from Old Norse.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
From Scottish Gaelic Mac Amhalghaidh (“son of Amhalghadh”), from Scottish Gaelic Mac Amhlaoibh (“son of Amhlaoibh”), from Old Norse Óláfr.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1991. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
McCauley through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 115
- 94 boys · 21 girls
- Most popular year
- 1993
- 16 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 11 in 1993. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 203 as a first name in 2020; 23,117 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
McCauley’s family of names
McCauley has a related form in Macauley. In English usage, McCauley as a surname has a related form in MCAULAY. In English usage, McCauley as a surname has a related form in MCAULEY.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love McCauley, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Macaulay
“the son of righteousness”
>99% boys
Jostein
“horse” · “stone”
>99% boys
Stian
“wanderer” · “a voyager; one who is swift”
>99% boys
Vang
“field”
97% boys · 3% girls
Brage
“first, foremost”
>99% boys
Kaelan
“a mighty warrior”
85% boys · 15% girls
Auley
Auley is a masculine given name from Old Irish, ultimately from Old Norse. It is used in Manx.
>99% boys
Eyvin
“luck, good fortune” · “victor, victorious lord”
>99% boys