Find out how popular the last name Duffey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Duffey.

Duffey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Duffey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Duffey in America

Duffey is the 5562nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Duffey surname appeared 6,251 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Duffey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Duffey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Duffey

The surname Duffey is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Dubhshith" meaning "black man." It is believed to have originated in the 12th century in the northern part of Ireland, particularly in the counties of Antrim and Down.

One of the earliest known records of the name Duffey dates back to the 16th century, when a man named John Duffey was mentioned in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a collection of legal documents from the Irish Court of Chancery.

In the 17th century, the Duffey surname appeared in the Hearth Money Rolls, a tax record collected in Ireland between 1662 and 1666. This suggests that the name was well-established in various parts of Ireland during that time period.

The Duffey name is also associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Duffeystown in County Meath and Duffeyrath in County Down. These place names likely originated from individuals or families bearing the Duffey surname who lived or owned land in those areas.

One notable individual with the surname Duffey was Sir Patrick Duffey (1853-1920), an Irish politician and barrister who served as a Member of Parliament for Belfast North from 1900 to 1918. He played a prominent role in the Irish Parliamentary Party and advocated for Irish Home Rule.

Another historical figure was John Duffey (1766-1839), an Irish-American printer and journalist who co-founded the New York National Advocate newspaper in 1809. He was a vocal supporter of Irish independence and a critic of British rule in Ireland.

In the realm of literature, Jeremiah Duffey (1819-1907) was an Irish writer and poet who published several volumes of poetry and prose, including "The Patriot's Harp" and "The Lays of the Heroic Age."

The Duffey surname can also be found in religious history, with Father James Duffey (1839-1909), an Irish-American Catholic priest who served as the Bishop of Richmond, Virginia, from 1903 until his death in 1909.

Finally, one cannot overlook the contributions of Mary Duffey (1884-1960), an Irish-American labor activist and leader of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. She played a crucial role in organizing garment workers and advocating for better working conditions and fair wages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Duffey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Duffey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Duffey was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Duffey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Duffey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Duffey, please contact us.

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