Surname McCaughey - Meaning and Origin

McCaughey: What does the surname McCaughey mean?

The surname McCaughey is derived from the Irish name MacCaba, which, in turn, may be related to the Old Irish MacCongaile,Mac Congail or Mac Congaile. The origin of this surname stems from the Irish patronymic system, where surnames were generally derived from the father's given name. In the case of MacCongaile, the surname was preface with “Mac” which means “son of” and is anglicized as “Mc”, or “Mac”. The prefix is sometimes depicted with an ‘h’ and in the case of McCaughey, is derived from the name ‘Congail’. In first century Gaelic, ‘cong’ meant ‘valour’ or ‘valiant,’ and ‘eal’ meant ‘clear’ or ‘handsome’. It is believed the hyphenated version mac-caughey, which can be found in the Blarney, Ireland area is a variation of MacCongaile. The McCaugheys are generally found in counties Antrim and Down in Northern Ireland and can trace their roots back to the ancient clan of Ulster.

McCaughey: Where does the name McCaughey come from?

The last name McCaughey is most commonly found in North America, particularly in the United States and Canada. Throughout the United States, the name is largely found across the Midwest and Northeast regions. Specifically, people bearing the McCaughey surname are most prevalent in the state of Ohio, where it ranks 55th in popularity. Other states with significant concentrations of people bearing the McCaughey last name are Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New York.

In Canada, the family name is notably highest in Ontario, followed closely by Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador. Beyond North America, some small pockets of McCaugheys can be found in New Zealand, as well as some parts of Northern and Eastern Europe.

In terms of origin, the name McCaughey is an anglicized form of the Irish surname MacCaogaidh, which is derived from the Gaelic words “mac” meaning “son” and “Caoghadh” meaning “hard-working” or “industrious”. Those bearing the McCaughey name are believed to be direct descendants of a powerful clan that lived in the historic Kingdom of Tyrone—now County Tyrone—in Northern Ireland.

Variations of the surname McCaughey

The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname McCaughey (MacCaghy, MacCaughey, MacCawey, etc.) are MacCaughey, MacCahey, MacCashey, MacCahy, MacCaughey, MacCoghy, MacCohey, MacComsey, MacCosky, MacCougey, MagCahey, MagCaughey, MagCawey, MagCahey, MagCahy, MagCaughey, MagCoghy, MagCohey, MagComsey, MagCosky, MagCougey, McCahy, McCahey, McCaughey, McCawley, McCawly, McCaughey, McCaughy, McCoghy, McCohey, McComsey, McCosky, McCougey, Makcahy, Makcahey and Makccaughey.

McCaughey is an Irish surname derived from a Gaelic word “Mac eachaidh” which means son of eachaidh. This is a patronymic name, a form of surname that is derived from the father’s name rather than his own given name. It is most commonly found in the County Monaghan in Ireland and is sometimes spelled as McCahy, MacCahey, or MacCahy, etc. It is believed to have been anglicised from MacEachaidh, which is pronounced ‘mahk-ah-hee’.

The McCaughey name is also found in Scotland, Wales and England, as well as the United States, Canada and Australia. McCaughey is a popular Irish-American surname in the United States today, due to the large number of Irish immigrants who brought their native surnames with them.

The variants listed above are all derived from the same Gaelic origin and while many have different spellings, they all come from the same source. The spelling and pronunciation may have changed over the years, but the origin remains the same.

Famous people with the name McCaughey

• Bobbi McCaughey: Bobbi McCaughey is the mother of the septuplets born in 1997. She gained international fame after the birth of her seven babies at once.
• Kenny McCaughey: Kenny is Bobbi's husband and the father of the seven babies. He was also featured on several news programs alongside his wife.
• Beverye McCaughey: Beverye was Bobbi's older sister, who stood by her side throughout the pregnancy and delivery of the seven babies.
• Zachary McCaughey: Zachary is the oldest of the McCaughey septuplets born in 1997.
• Kenneth McCaughey: Kenneth is another of the McCaughey septuplets.
• Natalie McCaughey: Natalie is one of the McCaughey septuplets.
• Brittany McCaughey: Brittany is another of Bobbi and Kenny's seven babies.
• Joel McCaughey: Joel is another of the seven McCaughey babies.
• Brandon McCaughey: Brandon is a musician, son of Kenny and Bobbi, and one of the septuplets born in 1997.
• Alexis McCaughey: Alexis is another of the McCaughey septuplets.
• Nathan McCaughey: Nathan is another of Bobbi and Kenny's seven babies.

Other surnames

McCaughanMcCaughernMcCaughinMcCaughnMcCaughtry