2000
#2,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,469
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.62
Uncommon Last name
Gaffney
Derived from the Irish Gaelic surname Ó Gamhna, meaning "descendant of Gamhain," a personal name meaning "calf."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,100 Americans carry the last name Gaffney. That puts it at #2,858 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,309 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gaffney 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 Gaffney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,309
Census rank
#2,858
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,296 bearers of the surname Gaffney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2858th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaffney, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gaffney
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaffney, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gaffney 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 Gaffney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.3% · 9,991
- Black or African American11.2% · 1,375
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 436
- Two or more races3.1% · 383
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 87
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gaffney
Gaffney 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
#2,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,805
+336 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 4.34
Rank movement Down 157 places
2020
#2,858
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,296
-509 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 4.11
Rank movement Down 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,662 | 12,469 | 4.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,819 | 12,805 | 4.34 | +336 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 157 places |
| 2020 | #2,858 | 12,296 | 4.11 | -509 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 39 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 Gaffney 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 | #2,819 | #2,858 | -1.4% |
| Count | 12,805 | 12,296 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.34 | 4.11 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gaffney bearers went from 12,805 to 12,296 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,819 to #2,858.
FAQ
Gaffney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gaffney?
Name Census estimates that about 14,100 living Americans carry the surname Gaffney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,309 residents.
How common is Gaffney?
Gaffney ranks #2,858 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,296 people with the surname Gaffney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,100), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Gaffney.
Has Gaffney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gaffney went from 12,805 recorded bearers to 12,296. That is a decrease of 509 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,819 to #2,858.
What does the Census say about the background of Gaffney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaffney, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Gaffney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (9,991 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gaffney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.3%), Black (11.2%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Gaffney (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 Gaffney mean?
Derived from the Irish Gaelic surname Ó Gamhna, meaning "descendant of Gamhain," a personal name meaning "calf." 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 Gaffney (4.11 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 many people have the surname Gaffney?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.