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

Mehaffey, 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 Mehaffey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mehaffey in America

Mehaffey is the 17216th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mehaffey surname appeared 1,645 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 Mehaffey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mehaffey 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 Mehaffey

The surname Mehaffey originates from Ireland, specifically from the Gaelic Irish name Ó Miacháin. This name is derived from the old Irish word "miacháin," which means "hospitable" or "affable." The Mehaffey name first appeared in County Down, Ulster, in the early 17th century.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be "McHaffey" in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663-1665. This was a tax levied on households in Ireland, and the name is listed as being from County Down. The name later evolved to its current spelling of "Mehaffey" by the late 18th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Mehaffey surname was Patrick Mehaffey, who was born in County Down around 1680. He was a landowner and farmer, and his descendants continued to live in the area for several generations.

Another notable Mehaffey was John Mehaffey (1747-1815), who was a successful merchant and landowner in County Down. He was involved in the Irish linen trade and amassed a considerable fortune during his lifetime.

In the 19th century, the Mehaffey name began to spread throughout Ireland and beyond. James Mehaffey (1824-1901) was a prominent politician and member of the Irish Home Rule movement, serving as a Member of Parliament for County Monaghan from 1880 to 1901.

The name also found its way to North America, with several Mehaffeys immigrating to the United States and Canada in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One such individual was Samuel Mehaffey (1865-1947), who was born in County Down and later settled in Ontario, Canada, where he worked as a farmer and businessman.

Another notable Mehaffey from this period was William Mehaffey (1878-1962), an American lawyer and politician from Pennsylvania. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1915 to 1919.

While the Mehaffey surname has its roots in Ireland and the old Gaelic language, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with descendants carrying on the name and its rich history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mehaffey

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

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

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

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