| Mac Amhalghaidh | |
| Gender: | Masculine |
| Feminine: | Nic Amhalghaidh, Bean Mhic Amhalghaidh, Mhic Amhalghaidh |
| Language: | Irish |
| Language origin: | Irish |
| Meaning: | "son of Amhalghaidh", "son of Amhalghadh" |
| Cognate: | MacAmhalghaidh |
| Variant: | Mac Amhalaí, Mac Amhalaidh, Mac Amhalghadha, Mag Amhalghaidh, Mag Amhalghadha |
| See also: | Mac Amhlaoibh |
| Family: | the Mac Amhalghaidh lords of Calraighe |
Mac Amhalghaidh is an Irish masculine surname. The name translates into English as "son of Amhalghadh". The surname originated as a patronym, however it no longer refers to the actual name of the bearer's father. The form of the surname for unmarried females is Nic Amhalghaidh. The forms for married females are Bean Mhic Amhalghaidh and Mhic Amhalghaidh. The Irish Mac Amhalghaidh has numerous Anglicised forms. The surname has been borne by at least one notable Irish family.
A cognate of Mac Amhalghaidh is the Scottish Gaelic MacAmhalghaidh; the feminine form of which is NicAmhalghaidh.
There are several variant forms of the name. A modern variant is Mac Amhalaí. Another is Mac Amhalaidh. Another variant is Mac Amhalghadha. Variant forms of Mac Amhalghaidh and Mac Amhalghadha include Mag Amhalghaidh and Mag Amhalghadha.
Mac Amhalghaidh translates into English as "son of Amhalghaidh", or "son of Amhalghadh".[1] The surname originated as a patronym, however it no longer refers to the actual name of the bearer's father. The personal name Amhalghaidh, also spelt Amhalghadh, is an old Gaelic name, and is of uncertain origin and meaning.[1]
Mac Amhalghaidh is a masculine surname. The form of this surname for unmarried females is Nic Amhalghaidh. This feminine surname is actually a contracted form of iníon Mhic Amhalghaidh, which translates into English as "daughter of Mac Amhalghaidh". The form of the surname for married females is Bean Mhic Amhalghaidh, which translates into English as "wife of Mac Amhalghaidh"; this feminine surname can also be represented in the contracted form Mhic Amhalghaidh.
A cognate of the Irish Mac Amhalghaidh is the Scottish Gaelic MacAmhalghaidh. The feminine form of this Scottish Gaelic surname is NicAmhalghaidh. This feminine name is composed of the prefix Nic-, which is an abbreviated form of the Scottish Gaelic nighean mhic or nì mhic, which translates into English as "daughter of the son"; thus NicAmhalghaidh translates as "daughter of MacAmhalghaidh".
There are numerous Anglicised forms of the surname. Anglicisations in use today include Cauley, Cawley, Macally, MacAlley,[4] MacAulay,[4] MacAuley,[4] MacAuliffe,[4] Maccally,[4] MacCauley, MacCawley,[5] and MacCowley,[6] MacGawley, and Magawley. Many of these English-language surnames also have unrelated origins. For example, in many cases the Irish Mac Amhlaoibh has been Anglicised into identical forms.[6] [7] Anglicised forms of Mag Amhalghaidh and Mag Amhalghadha include Gawley, MacGaulay, MacGawlay, MacGawley, and Magawley.[3] An Anglicised form of the Irish Mac Amhalaidh is MacGauley.[5]
The surname has been borne by several Irish families. The most notable of these was a particular family that was historically seated in what is today County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland. The leadership of the family had once been the powerful lords of Calraighe.[6] According to Edward MacLysaght, this family's eponymous ancestor of this family lived in the 13th century. A pedigree of the family is recorded stretching back to Niall of the Nine Hostages, a semi-legendary High King of Ireland.
In Scotland, the unrelated MacAulays of Ardincaple (also known as "Clan MacAulay") derived their surname from MacAmhalghaidh, the Scottish Gaelic form of the surname.[1] The early ancestry of the MacAulays is uncertain, although their surname may ultimately be linked to members of the original family of the Earls of Lennox, who bore the name Amhalghaidh / Amhalghadh. The MacAulays of Ardincaple were historically seated at Ardincaple Castle, within territory dominated by the early Earls of Lennox.