Show ContentsCooey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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

Early Origins of the Cooey family

The surname Cooey 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 Cooey family

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

Cooey Spelling Variations

The scribes and church officials of the Middle Ages who recorded names in official documents spelled the names as they sounded. This led to the problem of one name being recorded under several different variations and thus resembling more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Cooey that are preserved in archival documents of this era include Coffey, Caughey, Coffie, Coughey, Cauffey, Cauffy, Cauffie, Coffy, Coughay, Coffay, Coffeye and many more.

Early Notables of the Cooey 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 Cooey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cooey family

Many Irish families did not fare so well within the English-ruled Ireland. Besides racial and religious discrimination, many families were renting out small tracts of farmland from absentee landowners at often unreasonable rates. Beginning in the late 18th century, moderately well off Irish families decided to emigrate to British North America or the United States in order to own their own plot of land. A radical change occurred in the 1840s, however, with the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s. Up to this point, the island's population had been increasing rapidly and a steady demand over the years for grain crops had depleted soil. Two failed crops and one poor one caused widespread disease and starvation. Thousands boarded ships looking for opportunities elsewhere. North America welcomed them as a source of cheap labor required for the many industrial and infrastructure projects underway, and as a means to quickly occupy the western regions. Research into immigration and passenger ship lists indicates that people bearing the name Cooey were among the earliest settlers to arrive in North America: Barney, James, John, Michael and Patrick Coffey who all settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1854 and 1868; Michael Coffey settled in Quebec in 1848.



The Cooey 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


  1. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)


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