This most interesting and unusual surname may be of Anglo-Saxon origin, as an English locational name from "Muckley", a hamlet near Much Wenlock in Shropshire. The placename itself derives from the Olde English pre 7th Century personal names "Mucel" from "micel", large or "Mucca" and the Olde English "leah", a wood or glade, often found as "ley". The name is however more likely to be Irish, and is the Anglicized form of the Gaelic "O'Maolchluiche", composed of the Gaelic prefix "O", male descendant of, and a Gaelic personal name composed of "mal", chief or "maol", devotee and "cluiche", game. This was originally a Co. Sligo name which gave its name to Inishmulclahy; it is now mainly found in Munster as Mulcahy, Mulclahy and Mulclohy. The Census of 1659 shows it to be numerous in Counties Waterford, South Tipperary, and in Limerick and Cork. Letys Muckley married Sampson Awdley on June 17th 1548 at St. Margaret's, Westminster, London.Richard, son of Richard and Margaret Mockley was christened on August 10th 1675 at St. Peter's, Dublin, while Julian, son of Denis and Mary Muckley, was christened on February 18th 1829 at Ballyvourney, in Co. Cork. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Donncadh O'Maolchluiche, which was dated circa 1600, in the "Census of 1659", during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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