2000
#5,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,000
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.22
Rare Last name
Duffey
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Dubhthaigh," meaning "descendant of Dubhthach," a personal name meaning "dark."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,665 Americans carry the last name Duffey. That puts it at #5,740 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,426 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duffey surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Duffey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 51,426
Census rank
#5,740
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,812 bearers of the surname Duffey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5740th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duffey, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duffey
Among Census respondents with the surname Duffey, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Duffey bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Duffey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.8% · 4,695
- Black or African American11.9% · 694
- Two or more races3.8% · 222
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 166
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duffey
Duffey appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,562
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,251
+251 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Down 217 places
2020
#5,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,812
-439 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Down 178 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,345 | 6,000 | 2.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,562 | 6,251 | 2.12 | +251 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 217 places |
| 2020 | #5,740 | 5,812 | 1.94 | -439 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 178 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Duffey surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,562 | #5,740 | -3.2% |
| Count | 6,251 | 5,812 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.12 | 1.94 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duffey bearers went from 6,251 to 5,812 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 178 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,562 to #5,740.
FAQ
Duffey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duffey?
Name Census estimates that about 6,665 living Americans carry the surname Duffey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,426 residents.
How common is Duffey?
Duffey ranks #5,740 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,812 people with the surname Duffey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,665), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Duffey.
Has Duffey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duffey went from 6,251 recorded bearers to 5,812. That is a decrease of 439 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,562 to #5,740.
What does the Census say about the background of Duffey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duffey, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Duffey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.8% (4,695 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duffey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.8%), Black (11.9%), Two or More Races (3.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Duffey (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Duffey mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Dubhthaigh," meaning "descendant of Dubhthach," a personal name meaning "dark." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Duffey (1.94 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Duffey?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Duffey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.