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

McCafferty, 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 McCafferty surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McCafferty in America

McCafferty is the 6579th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McCafferty surname appeared 5,147 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 McCafferty.

We can also compare 2010 data for McCafferty 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 McCafferty

The surname McCafferty is of Irish origin, originating from the Gaelic Mac Aphartáin or Mac Aferatáin. It is a patronymic name, meaning "son of Aphartáin/Aferatáin." The name Aphartáin is derived from the Old Irish word "afer," meaning "cold" or "keen," and the diminutive suffix "-án."

The McCafferty surname is most commonly found in counties Donegal, Tyrone, and Fermanagh in Ulster, Ireland. It is believed to have originated in the area around the townlands of Aghyaran and Aghalurcher in County Fermanagh. The name is first recorded in the Annals of Ulster in the 14th century, which mention an Edmond Mac Caferthy in 1356.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the McCafferty surname can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, which mention a Richard McCafferty in County Fermanagh in 1585. The surname is also found in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663-1665, which list several McCafferty households in County Fermanagh.

Notable McCaffertys throughout history include:

1. James McCafferty (1803-1869), an Irish politician who served as a Member of Parliament for County Donegal from 1857 to 1865.
2. John McCafferty (1846-1923), an Irish-American labor leader and politician who served as the president of the United Mine Workers of America from 1900 to 1909.
3. Thomas McCafferty (1885-1964), an Irish-American politician who served as the Mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, from 1926 to 1930.
4. John McCafferty (born 1936), an Irish-American actor best known for his roles in the films "The Deer Hunter" and "Taps."
5. Fergus McCafferty (born 1973), an Irish author and playwright, known for his works such as "The Gathering" and "Nowhere Man."

The McCafferty surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Aghyaran and Aghalurcher in County Fermanagh, where the name is believed to have originated. Additionally, variations in spelling, such as MacCafferty, McCafferity, and McCaffarty, have been observed throughout historical records.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McCafferty

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

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

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

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