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

Staffney, 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 Staffney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Staffney in America

Staffney is the 104602nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Staffney surname appeared 171 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 Staffney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Staffney 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 Staffney

The surname Staffney has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from a place name, with the earliest known spelling being "Staffeneye" or "Staffeneia" in the late 11th century. This place name is thought to have originated from the Old English words "staef" meaning "staff" and "eg" meaning "island" or "low-lying land."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Staffney can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Radulfus de Staffeneia, who held lands in the county of Gloucestershire.

By the 13th century, the surname had evolved to its more recognizable form of "Staffney." Records from this time period show that the name was particularly concentrated in the counties of Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire in the southwest of England.

One notable individual bearing the Staffney surname was Sir John Staffney, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in the late 14th century. He was mentioned in several historical documents relating to land disputes and legal proceedings in Somerset during the reign of King Richard II.

Another early example of the Staffney name can be found in the records of the University of Oxford, where a student named William Staffney was enrolled in the year 1487. This suggests that the family had achieved a certain level of social standing and wealth by this time.

In the 16th century, the Staffney family appears to have expanded its presence beyond the southwest of England. Records from this period mention a Thomas Staffney, who was a merchant and alderman in the city of London, and a Richard Staffney, who served as a member of the English parliament representing the borough of Bridport in Dorset.

As the centuries progressed, variations in the spelling of the surname emerged, including "Staffeney," "Staffnay," and "Stafney." However, the core elements of the name remained rooted in its origins as a place name derived from the Old English words for "staff" and "island" or "low-lying land."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Staffney

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

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

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

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