McCaffery History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

There are multitude of rich histories underlying the many Irish surnames in use today. The name McCaffery originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Gafraidh. Gafraidh or Gothraidh equates with the English personal name Godfrey. Variations that start with the prefix Mac or Mc mean son of Godfrey.

Early Origins of the McCaffery family

The surname McCaffery was first found in County Fermanagh (Irish: Fear Manach) in the southwestern part of Northern Ireland, Province of Ulster, where they held a family seat at Ballymacaffrey near Five mile Town in Fermanagh near the Tyrone border. 1

Early History of the McCaffery family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCaffery research. Another 51 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1987 is included under the topic Early McCaffery History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCaffery Spelling Variations

Ireland in the Middle Ages was inhabited by very few literate people. Therefore, the proper spelling of names was decided by a very select few. The surviving records for the time demonstrate that these scribes were often not consistent in their efforts for there are many spelling variations of certain common names. Some of the variations for the name McCaffery include MacCaffery, MacCaffrey, MacCafferty, MacAffery, MacAffry, MacAfferty, MacGoffrey, MacGodfrey and many more.

Early Notables of the McCaffery family

More information is included under the topic Early McCaffery Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCaffery Ranking

In the United States, the name McCaffery is the 13,988^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

McCaffery migration to the United States +

Ireland experienced a dramatic decrease in its population during the late 19th century. This was in a great measure, a response to England's imperialistic policies. Hunger and disease took the lives of many Irish people and many more chose to leave their homeland to escape such hunger and disease. North America with its promise of work, freedom, and land was an extremely popular destination for Irish families. For those families that survived the journey, all three of these things were were often attained through much hard work and perseverance. Research into early immigration and passenger lists revealed many immigrants bearing the name McCaffery:

McCaffery Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James McCaffery, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 3
William McCaffery, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 3
John McCaffery, who arrived in Somerset County, Pennsylvania in 1820 3
Hugh McCaffery, aged 20, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1834 3

McCaffery migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McCaffery Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mary McCaffery, aged 34, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
Hugh McCaffery, aged 48, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
James McCaffery, aged 33, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
Bridget McCaffery, aged 28, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
Tom McCaffery, aged 31, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Protector" in 1834
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McCaffery (post 1700) +

Daniel D. McCaffery, American judge on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania (2013-)
Simon McCaffery (b. 1963), American author
Harry Charles McCaffery (1858-1928), American Major League Baseball outfielder
Seamus McCaffery (b. 1950), American Justice on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Fran McCaffery (b. 1959), American college basketball coach
Lawrence F. "Larry" McCaffery Jr. (b. 1946), American literary critic, editor, and retired professor of English and Comparative Literature at San Diego State University
Trudy V. McCaffery (1944-2007), Canadian-born, American prominent Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder in California
Edward McCaffery, American tax law professor at the University of Southern California Law School
Ann McCaffery, Irish authoress
Ken McCaffery (1929-2021), Australian professional rugby league footballer, commentator and administrator
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)