What is "aulay"

Aulay is a Scottish masculine given name. It is an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic Amhladh, Amhlaidh, Amhlaigh, and Amhlaibh. The standard Irish Gaelic form of these names is Amhlaoibh (pronounced "ow-liv", and "owl-lee"); which can be Anglicised as Auliffe and Humphrey.

The Old Irish personal name Amlaíb is a Gaelicised form of the Old Norse Óláfr, and is recorded in the Annals of Ulster as being introduced into Ulster by "Amlaíb, son of the king of Lochlann" In the 9th century, Óláfr may have been pronounced more like the Old Norse Áleifr. A Classical Gaelic form of this Old Irish name is Amhlaíbh.

The older Irish Gaelic names Amalgaid and Amhalghaidh (pronounced "owl-ghee"), were borne by an early king of Munster, and an early king of Connacht. Even though these names were of a different origin than the above Gaelicised Norse names, they were "totally confused" in the later Middle Ages with them. In later times, Amalgaid and Amhalghaidh were Anglicised as Auley; as well as Awley, which was a spelling commonly used by the Magawleys of Calry.

In the Irish counties of Antrim and Armagh, Amley is found as a variant of Aulay or Auley and gives rise to the surname MacAmley or Macamley