Surname Coffey - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'C'
Coffey: What does the surname Coffey mean?
The last name Coffey is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name "Ó Cobhthaigh", meaning "descendant of Cobhthach". The name Cobhthach itself translates to "victorious" or "triumphant". Thus, the surname can be interpreted as "descendant of the victorious one". The name became popular across Ireland during the Middle Ages, and it is still prevalent today, with a notable concentration in the southern part of the country. Like many other surnames, variations of "Coffey" exist due to the transliteration from Gaelic to English, such as Coffey, Coffie, Coffee, Coffy, and others. It's important to note that although phonetically similar to the common drink 'coffee', the surname does not have any connection to it.
Order DNA origin analysisCoffey: Where does the name Coffey come from?
The surname Coffey has Irish origins and comes from the ancient Gaelic name O'Cobhthaigh, meaning 'Victorious'. It is believed to have originated from Elizabethan times. The Coffey family belonged to the County Cork, located in the province of Munster, Ireland.
The “O” prefix meaning "descendant of," was systematically dropped due to the anglicization policies of the British administration during the seventeenth century. The evolution of the surname saw many modifications, among the variations were Coffay, Coffey, Coffy, O'Coffey, and others.
In the present day, the surname Coffey is most common in the United States, followed closely by England, Australia, Canada, and not surprisingly, Ireland. In these countries, a significant portion of the population bears this Irish surname, primarily due to the mass emigration of the Irish during the Great Famine in the 19th century. Despite Coffey’s predominantly Irish origin, it has far less concentration in Ireland today than in the English-speaking countries of the world.
Variations of the surname Coffey
The surname Coffey, of Irish origin, is primarily found in County Kerry and County Cork. It is derived from the Gaelic name Ó Cobhthaigh, meaning "victorious".
The surname has several variants and alternative spellings that may have arisen due to phonetic transcriptions or regional dialects. Some of these include Coffee, Coffie, Coffy, Cofie, Coffe, Caffey, and Caffie. There are also slightly modified versions like McCoffey, Mccoffee, and MacCaffey, where "Mac" and "Mc" are prefixes denoting "son of".
Irish surnames were often anglicised in various ways, especially during the time of British rule, leading to diverse spellings of the same name. In addition to phonetic spelling, people sometimes changed the spelling of their surna
Famous people with the name Coffey
- Paul Coffey: A Canadian former professional ice hockey player who has played for various teams in the National Hockey League.
- Amelia Coffey: An Australian cricket player who has represented Tasmania in the Women's National Cricket League.
- Cleo Coffey: American actress known for her roles in "The Manchurian Candidate" and "The Ladies Man".
- Bria Coffey: A Financial consultant and the daughter of famous basketball coach Fred Coffey.
- Sue Coffey: An American executive serving as the CEO of the American Society of Association Executives.
- Steve Coffey: A Canadian singer-songwriter and painter, known for his country and folk music.
- Chip Coffey: An American psychic on various paranormal television programs, often appearing on the Paranormal State and Psychic Kids.
- Fred Coffey: A renowned basketball coach in various Universities in the United States.
- William Coffey: An English cricketer who played in the 1920s.
- Thomas Coffey: An Australian playwright and writer who won the Miles Franklin Award.
- Alexander Hastie "Alec" Coffey: A South African cricket player. Please note that the degree of their fame might vary as some are more regionally known, while others like Paul Coffey have worldwide recognition.