| Cawley | |
| Gender: | Unisex |
| Language: | English |
| Language origin: | 1. English 2. Irish, Scottish Gaelic |
| See also: | MacCawley, McCawley, O'Cawley |
Cawley is a surname in the English language. There are several different origins of the surname. In some cases the surnames are derived from any of numerous place names in England. In other cases the surnames are derived from any of several Gaelic language surnames.
In some cases the surname is a variant of the surname Cowley,[1] and is thus derived from any of a number of different place names in England. Such places are located in Buckinghamshire, Devon, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Gloucestershire, and Middlesex. These place names have numerous different etymologies.[2] For example, one place name is derived from the Old English elements cu and leah, meaning "cow" and "woodland clearing"; another two are from the Old English col, meaning "coal" (in reference to charcoal); other places may be in part derived from the Old English personal names Cufa and Cofa.[3]
In some cases, the surnames are derived from the Scottish Gaelic MacAmhalghaidh, and Irish Mac Amhalghaidh. These Gaelic surnames translates into English as "son of Amhalghaidh"[4] or "son of Amhalghadh". The Gaelic surnames originated as a patronyms, however they are no longer used to refer to the actual names of the bearers' fathers. The personal name Amhalghaidh (also spelt Amhalghadh) is an old Gaelic name, and its etymological origin and meaning are uncertain.
In other cases, the surnames are derived from the Scottish Gaelic MacAmhlaidh, or the Irish Mac Amhlaoibh.[5] These surnames translate into English as "son of Amhladh" or "son of Amhlaidh"; and "son of Amhlaoibh". The Gaelic surnames originated as a patronyms, however they are no longer used to refer to the actual names of the bearers' fathers. The names Amhladh, Amhlaidh, and Amhlaoibh are Gaelic derivatives of the Old Norse personal names Áleifr and Óláfr.[6] [5] [7]
In 1990, the United States Census Bureau undertook a study of the 1990 United States Census, and released a sample of data concerning the most common names. According to this sample of 6.3 million people (who had 88,799 unique last names), Cawley ranked 7,289th most common last name, and was borne by 0.002 percent of the population sample. Within the 2000 United States Census, Cawley was the 5,900th most common last name, with 5,370 occurrences.[8] The table below shows data concerning racial-ethnic aspects of the surname in the 2000 United States Census.[9]