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

McCaffery, 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 McCaffery surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McCaffery in America

McCaffery is the 13445th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McCaffery surname appeared 2,265 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname McCaffery.

We can also compare 2010 data for McCaffery 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 McCaffery

The surname McCaffery is of Irish and Scottish origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is a patronymic surname, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Cadhfiadh," which means "war-warrior" or "battle-warrior."

In its earliest form, the surname was spelled as "MacCafferty" or "MacCaffrey." These spellings reflect the Irish Gaelic prefix "Mac," meaning "son of." The surname is believed to have originated in the counties of Donegal and Derry in Ulster, Ireland, as well as in parts of western Scotland, where Irish settlers had established communities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled by Franciscan monks in the 17th century. The Annals mention a notable figure named Domhnall MacCafferty, who was a chief of the Cenél Conaill dynasty in Donegal in the 12th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, many Irish families with the surname McCaffery were forced to migrate to other parts of Ireland and Scotland due to the Plantation of Ulster, a colonial policy implemented by the English Crown. This dispersal led to variations in the spelling of the surname, including McCaffery, McCaffry, and McCaffrie.

Notable individuals with the surname McCaffery throughout history include:

1. John McCaffery (c. 1790-1865), an Irish-American surgeon and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio.

2. Mary McCaffery (1849-1935), an Irish-American social worker and philanthropist who founded the St. Joseph's Home for Destitute Children in Philadelphia.

3. Francis McCaffery (1918-2004), an American basketball player and coach who led the Philadelphia Warriors to the 1947 NBA championship.

4. Rory McCaffery (born 1953), an Irish-American author and journalist known for his novels and short stories set in Philadelphia.

5. Anne McCaffery (1926-2011), an American-Irish science fiction writer best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series, which earned her numerous awards and accolades.

The surname McCaffery has a rich history deeply rooted in Irish and Scottish heritage, with many notable individuals contributing to various fields throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McCaffery

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

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

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

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