Gawly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland
• Scotland

Etymology of Gawly

Many variations of the name Gawly have evolved since the time of its initial creation. In Gaelic it appeared as Mac Amhalghaidh or Mac Amhlaoibh. The former name denotes a son of Auley, while the later denotes a son of Auliffe or a son of Humphrey. They claim descent through the Heremon line of Irish kings. 1

Early Origins of the Gawly family

Early History of the Gawly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gawly research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1787 and 1841 are included under the topic Early Gawly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gawly Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Gawly were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. MacAulay, MacAwley, MacAuley, MacAullay, MacAulley, MacAwlay, MacCaulay, MacCawley, MacGawley, Magawley, Cauley, Caulay, McCamley and many more.

Early Notables of the Gawly family

Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gawly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Gawly family

The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish families leaving Ireland for the distant shores of North America and Australia. These families often left their homeland hungry, penniless, and destitute due to the policies of England. Those Irish immigrants that survived the long sea passage initially settled on the eastern seaboard of the continent. Some, however, moved north to a then infant Canada as United Empire Loyalists after ironically serving with the English in the American War of Independence. Others that remained in America later joined the westward migration in search of land. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, though, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America, and those who arrived were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. In fact, the foundations of today's powerful nations of the United States and Canada were to a larger degree built by the Irish. Archival documents indicate that members of the Gawly family relocated to North American shores quite early: James MacCauley settled in Charles Town in 1772 with his wife; Kenneth MacAulay settled in Philadelphia in 1774; Alexander, George, Henry, James, John, William MacAuley all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.