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

McDuffy, 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 McDuffy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McDuffy in America

McDuffy is the 21403rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McDuffy surname appeared 1,222 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname McDuffy.

We can also compare 2010 data for McDuffy 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 McDuffy

The surname McDuffy is of Scottish origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Scottish Gaelic name "MacDhùghaill," which means "son of Dougal." Dougal itself is a Scottish form of the name Dugald, derived from the Gaelic "dubhghall," meaning "dark stranger."

McDuffy is a variant of the more common surname MacDougall, which was the name of an influential clan in the Western Isles of Scotland. The clan's ancestral lands were centered around the district of Lorn in Argyll and the islands of Mull, Iona, and Tiree. The McDuffys likely descended from a cadet branch of the MacDougall clan.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the McDuffy name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which date back to the late 13th century. In these rolls, there is a mention of a "Dougal McDuffy" who was involved in a legal dispute over land ownership.

In the 16th century, the McDuffy name appears in various Scottish records, often in connection with the Argyll region and the Hebrides islands. For instance, a "John McDuffy" is listed as a witness to a land charter in the Isle of Mull in 1572.

Over the centuries, the name has also been spelled in various ways, such as McDuffie, McDuffey, and MacDuffy, reflecting the phonetic variations common in Scottish names. One notable bearer of the name was Alexander McDuffie (1756-1835), a Scottish-born American politician and jurist who served as a judge in South Carolina.

Another prominent figure with the McDuffy surname was William McDuffy (1828-1894), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. In the United States, John McDuffy (1853-1927) was a notable educator and philosopher who served as the president of the University of Rochester.

In the literary world, Laurette McDuffie (1888-1976) was an American author and poet known for her works on Southern culture and history. More recently, John McDuffy (1944-2010) was a Canadian artist and sculptor renowned for his abstract and minimalist works.

While the McDuffy name may have originated from a specific clan and region in Scotland, it has since spread across the globe, with bearers of this surname making their mark in various fields and professions over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McDuffy

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

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

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

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