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Coffee History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Coffee History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The surname is one of the native Irish surnames that come from the Irish Gaelic language. The original Gaelic form of the name Coffee is "Mac Eachaidh," from the personal name Eachaidh, which is Anglicized as Aghy. It is cognate with Eochaigh, which is Anglicized as the once-common Christian name Oghy.

Early Origins of the Coffee family

The surname Coffee was first found in the county of Cork (Irish: Corcaigh) the ancient Kingdom of Deis Muin (Desmond), located on the southwest coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Coffee family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coffee research. Another 106 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Coffee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coffee Spelling Variations

Irish names were rarely spelled consistently in the Middle Ages. Spelling variations of the name Coffee dating from that time include Caughey, McCaughey, McGaughey, Coffee, Coffey, Coffy, O'Coffey, O'Coffy, Mulcahy, McGahey and many more.

Early Notables of the Coffee family

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

Coffee Ranking

In the United States, the name Coffee is the 5,280^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Coffee migration to the United States +

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Coffee or a variant listed above, including:

Coffee Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Coffee, who settled in Virginia in 1637
Rebecca Coffee, who landed in Maryland in 1675 2
Robert Coffee, who arrived in Maryland in 1680 2

Coffee Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Charles Coffee, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 2

Coffee Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Andrew Coffee, aged 21, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
William John Coffee, who arrived in New York in 1818 2
Huch Coffee, aged 34, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1839 2
George Coffee, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1841 2
Timothy Coffee, aged 29, who landed in Missouri in 1843 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Coffee Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

John Coffee, who landed in Arkansas in 1903 2

Coffee migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Coffee Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Elisa Coffee, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Coffee Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Michael Coffee, aged 23, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Maria" from Cork, Ireland
Jeremiah Coffee, aged 27, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Charlotte" from Cork, Ireland
Bridget Coffee, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1834
Thomas Coffee, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1837 aboard the brig "Thetis" from Cork, Ireland
Mary Coffee, aged 24, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1838 aboard the barque "Pallas" from Cork, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Coffee migration to Australia +

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

Coffee Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Coffee, (Coffey), (b. 1783), aged 26, Irish painters boy who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Boyd" on 10th March 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
Mr. John Coffee, (b. 1777), aged 38, English porter who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 25th August 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. John Coffee, (b. 1801), aged 21, Irish convict who was convicted in Tipperary, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Brampton" on 8th November 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. Thomas Coffee, (b. 1799), aged 23, Irish ploughman who was convicted in Tipperary, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Brampton" on 8th November 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
George Coffee, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Buckinghamshire" in 1839 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Coffee migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Coffee Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Coffee, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mary Ann" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 24th September 1858 7
Ephrian Coffee, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blue Jacket" in 1865
Grace Coffee, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blue Jacket" in 1865
Mary Coffee, aged 17, a domestic servant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Apelles" in 1878

Contemporary Notables of the name Coffee (post 1700) +

Paul Coffee (b. 1956), retired American soccer Goalkeeper
John Trousdale Coffee (1816-1890), American politician and Confederate officer in the American Civil War
Harry Buffington Coffee (1890-1972), Nebraska Democratic politician
John Main Coffee (1897-1983), U.S. Representative from Washington
John C. "Jack" Coffee Jr. (b. 1944), American Adolf A. Berle Professor of Law at Columbia Law School
John E. Coffee (1782-1836), American military leader and a United States Congress man
Lenore Jackson Coffee (1896-1984), American screenwriter and playwright
Linda Nellene Coffee (b. 1942), American attorney
John Coffee (1772-1833), American planter and military leader
Glenwood Razeem Coffee Jr. (b. 1987), former American football running back
... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Coffee 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 +

"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Boyd
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Brampton
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Buckinghamshire.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html