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

Gaffney, 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 Gaffney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gaffney in America

Gaffney is the 2819th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gaffney surname appeared 12,805 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Gaffney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gaffney 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 Gaffney

The surname Gaffney originated in Ireland and is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name "Ó Gamhnaidh," meaning "descendant of Gamhnaidh." The name Gamhnaidh is derived from the Old Irish word "gamhan," which means "calf" or "offspring."

The Gaffneys were a prominent family in County Cavan, Ireland, and their ancestral homeland was in the vicinity of the town of Belturbet. The name is first recorded in historical records from the 12th century, with references to various members of the Ó Gamhnaidh clan.

In the 16th century, the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle of medieval Irish history, mentions a notable figure named Brian Ó Gamhnaidh, who was a chief of the clan and fought against the English forces during the Elizabethan conquest of Ireland.

The earliest known spelling of the name in English records dates back to the 17th century, where it appears as "Gaffney" in various documents and land records. During this time, the name was also associated with the townland of Gaffney, located in County Cavan.

One notable figure with the surname Gaffney was Daniel Gaffney (1787-1866), an Irish-born American businessman and politician who served as Mayor of Chicago from 1845 to 1846. Another prominent individual was James Gaffney (1811-1873), an Irish-born prelate who served as the Bishop of Hartford, Connecticut, from 1859 until his death.

In the 19th century, the name Gaffney was also associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Gaffney's Cross and Gaffney's Bridge, both located in County Cavan. Additionally, the name gained recognition through figures like Patrick Gaffney (1815-1899), an Irish-born Australian politician and landowner, and Michael Gaffney (1838-1917), an Irish-born American prelate who served as the Bishop of Ogdensburg, New York.

Throughout history, the surname Gaffney has been carried by many individuals of Irish descent, and it remains a prominent name in Ireland, particularly in the counties of Cavan and Monaghan, where it has its ancestral roots.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gaffney

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

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 Gaffney 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 Gaffney 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 Gaffney was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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