Coffie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The name Coffie originally descend from Cobthach Fionn, a quo Ó Cobhthaigh, where "cobthach" means "victorious" and "fionn" means "fair," combined to mean "the fairhaired victor." 1

Early Origins of the Coffie family

The surname Coffie was first found in County Cork, Roscommon and Meath, where the claim descent from the Irish monarch, Luy Mac Con, from the line of Ithe Kings, ancestor of Cobthach Fion, who in turn was the ancestor of the name Coffey or Caughey (both pronounced the same way). The O'Coffeys of Corcaloidhe are kin of the O'Driscolls, and are still common in southwest County Cork today.

Early History of the Coffie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coffie research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1580, 1700, 1729, 1745, 1857 and 1916 are included under the topic Early Coffie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coffie Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, was what guided scribes and church officials in recording names, a practice that often led to the misleading result of one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Coffie are preserved in documents that were examined for evidence of the family's history. The various spellings of Coffie included Coffey, Caughey, Coffie, Coughey, Cauffey, Cauffy, Cauffie, Coffy, Coughay, Coffay, Coffeye and many more.

Early Notables of the Coffie family

Notable among the family name at this time was Dermot O'Coffey (fl. 1580), the Gaelic poet.Charles Coffey of Leinster (1700-1745), was an Irish dramatist, actor and composer, a 'native of Ireland,' is first heard of in Dublin. In Dublin...
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Coffie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coffie migration to the United States +

In the 18th and 19th centuries, hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants landed on North American shores. Although many of them were merely looking for a free plot of land and living of their very own, many later immigrants were desperately fleeing an overcrowded land that did not have sufficient food for its inhabitants. The exodus from Ireland was greatest during the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine had stricken the island. Although this large influx of Irish was unpopular with the great majority of people already established within the major centers, these Irish were critical to the speedy development of the United States and those colonies that would eventually become known as Canada. These immigrants provided the cheap labor required to build modern roads, bridges, canals, and railways. Research of passenger and immigration lists has shown a number of immigrants to North America baring the name of Coffie:

Luis Coffie, Dutch settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Montery 2

Coffie Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Walter Dowall Barnaby Coffie, who arrived in New York in 1792 3
Walter Dowdall Barnaby Coffie, who landed in New York in 1792 3

Coffie Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Michael Coffie, aged 20, Irish settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Majestic" in 1837 2
Chas Coffie, aged 32, settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Morris Stanley" in 1845 2
James Coffie, aged 20, Irish settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Albert Gallatin" in 1851 2
Robt Coffie, aged 40, Irish settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Star of The West" in 1853 2
James Coffie, who landed in America in 1853 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Coffie migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Coffie Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century

Jeremiah Coffie, settler from London who arrived in Sydney, Australia aboard the ship "Oruba" in 1909 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Coffie (post 1700) +

Howard Boyd Coffie (1937-2006), American minor league baseball player
Raymonde Goudou Coffie (b. 1965), Ivorian politician
Naygel Coffie (b. 1996), Bonarian footballer
Ivanon Angelino Coffie (b. 1977), Dutch baseball player
Francis Coffie (b. 1989), Ghanaian international footballer
Calton Coffie (1954-2023), Jamaican vocalist

The Coffie Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Non providentia sed victoria
Motto Translation: No victory without foresight

Citations +

O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
National Archives of Australia retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ListingReports/PassengerListing.aspx